Ellicott City, MD - The Dragons swept regional opponent Cecil College, during their doubleheader frenzy Monday afternoon. Multiple home runs for the Dragons and a picture perfect grand slam for
Alyssa Kelly (Laurel, MD/Reservoir), making it Howard softball's second grand slam of the season.
Game One
The Dragons first put runs on the board in the first inning with the bases loaded, after a walk for
Holly Ryan (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach), scored
Taylor Pence (Mt. Airy, MD/Glenelg). Howard able to take advantage of errors from the seahawks shortstop, putting two more runs to the board, and continued to trek along from there. Kelly doubled down the left field line for 2 RBIs, ran in by
Morgan Ryan (Laurel, MD/Atholton) and
Micah Howell (Columbia, MD/Atholton).
Madeline Lackey (Manchester, MD/Manchester Valley) stole over to second after an error by the Cecil College left fielder, opened up scoring once more for two added runs. A final run added to the board by Pence, which scored Lackey.
A scoreless second inning for the Dragons and Seahawks, but Howard made some noise once more in the third inning, adding four more runs to the 9-0 score, highlighted by an RBI from Pence, and back-to-back home runs for
Kat Wisor (Crofton, MD/Arundel) and
Giana Sablan (Guam/Our Lady of Guam).
The Seahawks sought to regain their footing in the fourth, but only pushed one run across the board. A final home run in the bottom of the fourth is sent far and wide to left field by Pence to seal the deal in game one. Dragons hold Cecil to no runs in the fifth inning and complete the win with a final score of 14-1.
Pence racked up 3 RBIs, a double and a home run that helped pushed the Dragons toward their win. Kelly followed behind Pence with a double, 2 RBIs.
Game Two
Two fully scoreless innings at the start of game two between Howard and Cecil, but the Dragons able to strike first, pushing two runs across the board to take the lead at the end of the third. Howard held Cecil to no runs, before adding to their lead once more in the bottom of the fourth.
Kelly fired away to left field for a ball that came and went in the blink of an eye. A grand slam for Kelly, making it the the second grand slam for the Howard softball team this season. Four runs batted in, scored by
Cassie Litchfield (Mt. Airy, MD/Glenelg),
Kaylin Galindo (Columbia, MD/River Hill),
Holly Ryan (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach), and Kelly. The Dragons offense continued to come alive, adding six more runs for a 12-0 lead.
The Seahawks however, weren't looking to give up so easily and found a way to snag three runs from the Dragons defense, but Howard ultimately able to hold their own and sailed safely to the win with a final score of 12-3.
Morgan Ryan (Laurel, MD/Atholton) took the win in the circle, going four innings and allowing five hits, but no runs. Kelly finished with an astounding 6 RBIs, and two runs on three hits. Pence and Galindo both went 2-for-2, and an RBI for Galindo. Sablan finished with doubles and an RBI, while Wisor finished with a double and an RBI.
Howard softball will play their final game of the regular season on Wednesday, April 24, against the Cougars of Frederick Community College. The doubleheader match will be played in Ellicott City, MD at Kiwanis Wallas Park. First Pitch is scheduled for 3 PM.
