Keyser, WV - Despite a solid start to both games, the Howard Community College Dragons would fall in five innings to the WVU Potomac State Catamounts last Sunday.
The Dragons faced an uphill battle against the five-time defending Region 20 champions, but came out strong in both game one and two of the doubleheader. The losses drop the Dragons to 5-7 on the season and 2-3 in conference play.
Game One: Catamounts 11, Dragons 2
The Dragons came out strong in game one, with
Madison Hamolia (Odenton, MD/Arundel) getting on base with a right field single, and
Marissa Webb (Hanover, MD/Mount de Sales Academy) bringing her home with a two-run home run to center field. The 2-0 lead would be the only multi-run lead of the day, as the Catamounts scored eleven unanswered runs to take an 11-2 run-rule victory.
Howard still had several chances to score. In the top of the third,
Gianna Peluso (Ellicott City, MD/Marriotts Ridge) was walked, then advanced to third after
Madison Hamolia (Odenton, MD/Arundel) singled. But the next batter struck out to end the inning. Howard had three other batters walk, but none were able to get past second base in the lopsided loss.
Game Two: Catamounts 13, Dragons 4
The second game of the doubleheader would prove to be much more competitive for Howard. The Dragons once again struck first as
Gianna Peluso (Ellicott City, MD/Marriotts Ridge) scored on an error. It would be their only lead, as Potomac State took an 8-1 lead into the third after capitalizing on Dragons errors.
An infield error in the top of the third with the bases loaded allowed
Katherine Wright (Dayton, MD/Mount de Sales Academy) and
Madison Hamolia (Odenton, MD/Arundel) to score, giving Howard life. In the top of the fourth, trailing by six, the Dragons got as close as they had been all day when Hamolia smashed a single to right field that scored Peluso. In the bottom of the inning, four more runs would be scored by the Catamounts to put the contest away for good.
Howard will look to rebound this week with a midweek showdown against Allegany College of Maryland on Wednesday, March 18 at 3:00 and 5:00 PM.
