Howard University softball represented for HBCUs in a big way during the Hillenbrand Invitational. The invitational was hosted by Arizona, and the Lady Bison were the only HBCU in attendance. They faced a schedule competing against FBS programs Minnesota, Eastern Illinois, Long Beach State, and Arizona. While the Bison lost four games, they scored their first Power 4 victory in school history, a 5-4 win over Minnesota.
Howard’s offense finally came alive in the third inning, stringing together several key hits to take control of the game. The rally began when Whipper reached base with a single, and Jordan quickly followed by driving in a run with a base hit. Moments later, Riggins lined a double into right-center field that brought Jordan home. Castille then delivered the biggest swing of the inning, ripping a two-run double that extended the advantage to 4–0.
Minnesota didn’t go away quietly. The Golden Gophers responded by putting runs on the board in both the third and fourth innings. By the sixth, they had trimmed the deficit to just one run after a two-run homer made the score 5–4. Howard had already added a crucial run earlier in the fifth. Jordan reached base again with a single and eventually crossed the plate thanks to an RBI single from Riggins, giving the Bison a bit of breathing room.
In the pitching circle, Conaway picked up the victory after delivering a steady relief performance. Holt handled the final inning, shutting Minnesota down in the seventh to secure her second save of the year. Jordan led the way offensively with two hits and crossed the plate twice, while Riggins also collected two hits in three at-bats and drove in a pair of runs.
The Lady Bison have wrapped up out-of-conference play and will face MEAC rival University of Maryland Eastern Shore in the first of a doubleheader on Saturday, March 14th at 1 PM.
