HAMPTON, Va. (Feb. 20, 2026) … A pair of close games highlighted day one of the Battle of the Bay Tournament for the Hampton University softball team on Friday as they defeated Saint Francis 2-1 and dropped a 6-2 contest to Quinnipiac.

The Pirates took on Saint Francis in their first game on Friday and used late-inning magic to take a 2-1 victory over the Red Flash.

Saint Francis opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first as Aliya Garroway led off with a single and advanced to third following a ground out and a wild pitch before scoring on a Morgan Pasternak sacrifice fly.

After going through the batting order once, the Pirates scratched their first hit on a leadoff single from Aitrihna Aiken to start the bottom of the third. She reached third after a groundout and a fly out, but was left stranded.

Hampton pushed two runs across in the bottom of the sixth as with one out Camryn Hamilton singled up the middle to get the Pirates running. Pinch-runner Priscilla Michel came in and scored on a triple to right-center by Sydney Evans who later scored on a bunt single from Jayleen Reeves.

Ava Lester took the win on the mound throwing a complete game striking out six and allowing six hits.

In game two, neither team got a hit through the first four innIngs but the Bobcats broke the game open with a five-run fifth as Noelle Reid highlighted the outburst with a two-run single.

Hampton got a pair of runs in the seventh as Carmynn Bonner started with a single and went to second on a walk to Hamilton.  After an out, Evans doubled to left center and later scored on an RBI single from Amani Johnson.

Evans was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a run driven in to lead Hampton, while Johnson was 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Hampton is back in action on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against Maine.