Morgan State at Towson Game 1	LIVE STATS	LIVE VIDEO
Morgan State at Towson Game 2	LIVE STATS	LIVE VIDEO
Howard at Towson Game 1	LIVE STATS	LIVE VIDEO
Howard at Towson Game 2	LIVE STATS	LIVE VIDEO

TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University softball team will begin a nine-game homestand -- its longest of the season -- when it hosts Morgan State and Howard in consecutive doubleheaders on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Tiger Softball Stadium. First pitch on both days is at 3 p.m.
 
The Tigers (16-22 overall) will face a Morgan State (19-12) squad that has won 12 of its last 14 games and a Howard (2-26) team that lost its first 23 games of the season. Both Morgan State and Howard are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Towson has won 13 consecutive games against MEAC opponents and are 58-8 all-time against schools from that conference.
 
Towson is a combined 26-0 all-time against Morgan State and Howard.
 
Even though Towson went 3-2 last week, which included losing two out of three over the weekend to Elon, its pitching sparkled. The triumvirate of Megan Dejter, Julia Smith-Harrington and Carly DeLauder combined for a miniscule 0.61 earned run average in 34.2 innings last week. Dejter and Smith-Harrington each tossed a shutout against Norfolk State by identical 8-0 scores.
 
In three games against MEAC opponents this season, Towson's pitching has produced a 0.93 earned run average and have held them to a .196 batting average. The Tigers beat Hampton, 17-2, on Feb. 24 in the North Carolina tournament. Towson has defeated Hampton and Norfolk State by a combined 33-2.
 
Dejter was phenomenal in Towson's 2-1 10-inning victory over Elon. After allowing a first-inning run, Dejter shutdown the Phoenix. She finished the game by retiring 19 of the final 20 batters she faced. Dejter was locked in. Smith-Harrington was strong in a pair of appearances at Elon. She allowed four runs, but only one of them were earned.
 
Morgan State has a team batting average of .256 and Howard is hitting .213, so the Tigers pitching should continue to give their offense a chance to score. Towson's offense sputtered at Elon, scoring just five runs over 27 innings and compiling a .194 batting average.
 
In last year's 17-4 victory over Morgan State, Daria Edwards, Shelby Stracher, Brook Miko, Bailey Boyd, Nicole Stockinger and Kendyl Scott all had two hits each for the Tigers, who pounded out 15 as a team. This will be the first meeting against Howard since a pair of 6-0 and 8-0 wins in 2014.
 
A Look At Morgan State: The Bears are tied for first place with Hampton in the MEAC after winning two out of three from Delaware State over the weekend. Leading Morgan State's offense this season has been Kate Vosper (.338 batting average), Audrianna Alvarez (.326) and Damali Young (.323). Morgan State leads the MEAC in pitching with a 3.13 ERA. Pitcher Amy Begg is 17-6 with a 1.63 ERA and 135 strikeouts. Last season against Towson, Begg was roughed up for 11 runs in 2.2 innings.
 
A Look At Howard: The Bison have won two of their last five games. They dropped two out of three at Norfolk State last weekend. Howard's top hitter is Imani Ballard, who leads the team with a .442 batting average. Kamryn Tillman (.273 average) and Ballard lead Howard with four homers each. Ballard also has a team best 14 RBIs. Brooklyn Emory is hitting .264 and leads the team with 10 walks. Alex Flynn is Howard's top hurler. She has a 5.90 ERA and was the winning pitcher in both of Howard's victories. Howard's wins this season were against Coppin State and Norfolk State.
 
Up Next: Towson continues its homestand as it jumps back into CAA play by hosting Drexel (11-21, 1-11 CAA) in a key weekend series. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 12 p.m. and conclude the series with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. Towson has won four consecutive series against Drexel. Saturday will also be Parkville Rec Day and Alumni Day.