Ellicott City, MD - An exciting doubleheader saw the Howard Dragons and the College of Southern Maryland Hawks split with the Dragons taking game one 6-4 and the Hawks winning game two 11-7.

Southern Maryland took the lead in the first inning with a two run home run, but the Dragons answered back with a Katelyn Burdette (Frederick, MD/Walkersville) sacrifice fly. The Hawks increased the lead to 4-1 in the top of the third, but a Samantha Hobert (Elkridge, MD/Howard) double scored Danielle Thompson (Frederick, MD/Tuscarora) to cut into the lead. Sage Huber (West Friendship, MD/Glenelg) hit a drive to deep center field to score Madison Dzubak (Highland, MD/River Hill) in the fourth inning to make it a 4-3 Hawks lead. Kasey Smith (Jessup, MD/Hammond) led off the sixth inning with a game tying home run to left field for her first of the season. Madeline Lackey (Manchester, MD/Manchester Valley) followed that up with a double down the third base line and Huber reached base and stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Thompson came through in the clutch for the Dragons as her single to center field scored a couple to give Howard the 6-4 lead. Hobert was able to shut down the Hawks in top seventh inning to secure her first win of the season and a big regional win for Howard.

The Dragons got out to a great start in game two as an Ashleigh Gerber (Marriottsville, MD/Marriotts Ridge) line drive triple to center field scored Huber to grab Howard the early lead. Thompson hit a single right back up the middle to score Gerber to put the Dragons ahead 2-0. Southern Maryland hit a two run homer in the second to tie the game, but the Dragons answered right back with a sac-fly from Huber and an Alyssa Kelly (Laurel, MD/Reservoir) RBI single to score Lackey after her double into the left-center gap to make it a 4-2 Dragon advantage. Another two run home run for the Hawks in the top half tied the game once more, but Kelly put the Dragons ahead with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Hawks would score five runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to jump ahead of Howard which proved too much of a deficit to overcome despite a two-RBI double from Kelly in the sixth. 

Hobert pitched a complete game gem in game one and came in relief of Smith in game two as she closed out the remaining 4.2 innings with five combined strikeouts. 

The Dragons will continue their long home stand with Salem Community College coming to town on Thursday, March 23 at 3:30 PM.