MOUNT OLIVE, NC – The Winston-Salem State University Rams (1-2) softball team put on a strong offensive performance to claim an 8-4 win over the Alderson Broaddus Battlers (2-1), Saturday afternoon. In addition to a powerful offensive performance, the Rams played some lock down defense late to pull away with the win.  

The Rams had an impressive day at the plate. The team totaled 11 hits in the game with senior first base Shauntaja Dedecker leading the way. She went three-for-four at the plate for the Rams with a run scored and two RBI. Junior outfielder Nyla Howard was two-for-four with two runs scored while sophomore catcher Alleigh Himes had a two-run home run.

It took a while for the Rams to get things into gear, but when the team got things going, they never looked back. The Rams allowed the Battlers to go ahead first with a second-inning score, but the team answered in the third inning with an RBI single from Dedecker that scored Howard and tied the game, 1-1. The Rams allowed a third inning run and a pair of fourth inning runs to fall behind 4-1, but the team soon answered in a big way.

It was then that the Rams really kicked things into gear. The team scored seven unanswered runs against the Battlers to roll to the victory. Howard got things started when she scored on a double steal. The Rams followed the effort with a two-run home run by Himes. The Rams kept their scoring going in the sixth inning when sophomore Aniyah Jones scored on another double steal and Dedecker followed the score with an RBI single of her own. The effort left the Rams on top, 6-4 at the end of the inning. The team added two more seventh inning runs when junior second base Tia Robinson hit an RBI double that was followed by another RBI double from freshman outfielder Kamryn Kirby that left the Rams on top, 8-4. From there, the Rams turned to their defense to close out the win.

Freshman Anastasia Morrison (1-1) took the pitching win for the Rams. She started the game and threw all seven innings for the Rams. She finished the game with four runs allowed (two earned) on five hits. She had five strikeouts.

With the win, the Rams improve to 1-2 on the season. The team won't have long to relax as they will go on to face the Mount Olive Trojans later in the day. For more information on Rams softball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.