Ellicott City, MD - The Howard Community College Dragons wrapped up their first home stand of the season with a doubleheader sweep of the Monroe-Bronx Express on Saturday.
The Dragons scored 28 totals runs across the two games, completing a four-game sweep of the Express that started on Friday.
Game One: Dragons 17, Express 0
Howard opened the day's games with a dominant contest, scoring ten runs in the first and never letting off the gas.
Sophia Steele (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty) got the first runs aboard, hitting an RBI double and advancing to third on a wild pitch that brought home
Taylor Pence (Mt. Airy, MD/Glenelg).
Marissa Webb's (Hanover, MD/Mount de Sales) moonshot home run broke the game wide open. From there the Dragons were unstoppable, scoring on nearly every at-bat. On defense, the Dragons held Monroe-Bronx to just one hit as
Morgan Ryan (Laurel, MD/Atholton) and
Micah Howell (Columbia, MD/Atholton) pitched a combined shutout.
Taylor Pence (Mt. Airy, MD/Glenelg) finished the day with one run scored, two hits, four RBIs, and one double.
Courtney Johnson (Fulton, MD/Reservoir) recorded three runs, one hit, and three RBIs.
Sophia Steele (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty) recorded one hit, one RBI, two runs, and a double.
Raegan Perkes (Laurel, MD/Laurel) and
Marissa Webb (Hanover, MD/Mount de Sales) each brought home two RBIs, and the Dragons as a team hit four doubles.
Morgan Ryan (Laurel, MD/Atholton) pitched nearly the entire game, with
Micah Howell (Columbia, MD/Atholton) filling in for the final out. Ryan recorded three strikeouts.
Game Two: Dragons 11, Express 5
Game two got off to a rocky start, with the Express taking a 2-0 lead off a two-run home run. Howard quickly responded in the bottom of the inning, scoring off a
Taylor Pence (Mt. Airy, MD/Glenelg) single and taking the lead off a two-RBI single from
Sophia Steele (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty). A third single from
Raegan Perkes (Laurel, MD/Laurel) in the bottom of the second extended the lead, but Monroe-Bronx struck back. The Express tied the contest early in the third off a passed ball, but the Dragons countered with a wild sequence.
Holly Ryan (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach),
Giana Sablan (Hagatna, Guam/Academy of Our Lady of Guam), and Perkes all homered in succession to give the Dragons a massive 9-4 lead. Howard kept the pressure up in the bottom of the fourth, scoring off a
Taylor Pence (Mt. Airy, MD/Glenelg) single and a passed ball. The Express managed one more run before being shut down for good.
Perkes and Pence had excellent days, each going 2-4 with two hits, two runs, and two RBIs each.
Courtney Johnson (Fulton, MD/Reservoir) recorded one double, while
Holly Ryan (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach) added two RBIs and a home run.
Marissa Webb (Hanover, MD/Mount de Sales) got her first win of the season on the mound, recording two strikouts in three innings of work.
Sophia Steele (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty) recorded the first save of the season, pitching four innings and recording four strikeouts.
The Dragons next open conference play against Chesapeake College on Wednesday, March 12 at 5 and 7:00 PM.
