Rockville, MD - The Howard Community College Dragons set a new program record for wins Wednesday night as they swept the Montgomery Raptors.
After a furious comeback to win game one, the Dragons dominated game two to take their 14th victory of the season, surpassing the previous mark of 13 total wins set by the 2023 team.
Game One: Dragons 9, Raptors 4
Game one was a pitching duel for the first three innings, with the only runs coming from a
Holly Ryan (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach) sac-fly that scored
Courtney Johnson (Fulton, MD/Reservoir) and a
Raegan Perkes (Laurel, MD/Laurel) run on a groundout. In the bottom of the fourth, the Raptors struck gold by loading the bases on a series of errors, then scoring every run on a grand slam. Trailing 4-2, the Dragons would come alive in the fifth with seven unanswered runs. Taking advantage of Raptor errors, the Dragons kept loading the bases and clearing them, with
Marissa Webb's (Hanover, MD/Mount de Sales) home run putting the exclamation point on the comeback.
Sophia Steele (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty) then shut down the side to close out the game one victory.
Steele pitched a complete game with six strikeouts and just four earned runs.
Courtney Johnson (Fulton, MD/Reservoir) had three hits, three RBIs, and two runs scored with two doubles.
Raegan Perkes (Laurel, MD/Laurel) recorded two hits, two runs, a double, and an RBI.
Marissa Webb (Hanover, MD/Mount de Sales) recorded the games only home run.
Game Two: Dragons 11, Raptors 1
Game two got off to a hot start for the Dragons, with a
Marissa Webb (Hanover, MD/Mount de Sales) double scoring the first run in the top of the first. Howard quickly ran up the score, with a
Giana Sablan (Hagatna, Guam/Academy of Our Lady of Guam) sac-fly and a fielding error by the Raptors giving Howard a 3-0 lead after one. With
Marissa Webb (Hanover, MD/Mount de Sales) shutting down Montgomery's offense, the Dragons ran up the score in the second. Johnson knocked in a run with a deep single, and
Morgan Ryan (Laurel, MD/Atholton) hit a three-run double to make it 7-0.
Holly Ryan (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach) then brought home
Morgan Ryan (Laurel, MD/Atholton) with a single to make it 8-0 after two.
Johnson's solo home run kept the Dragons momentum up in the third, and despite a Montgomery run in the bottom of the inning, Howard kept the momentum going. Johnson's excellent day continued in the fifth with an RBI double, and Webb brought Johnson home with a single to wrap up the run-rule victory.
Johnson had an electric day, going a perfect 4-4 at the plate with two RBIs, three runs, and a home run. Webb scoe two hits, two RBIs, and two runs, while pitching a complete game with five strikeouts.
Morgan Ryan (Laurel, MD/Atholton) scored two hits and three RBIs, while five different Dragons recorded an extra-base hit.
Howard next faces Salem Community College today at 3:00 PM on the road.
