RALEIGH, NC -- The Fayetteville State Broncos took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning and maintained their advantage throughout, ultimately securing a 10-1 victory over the Virginia State Trojans on Thursday. Freshman Tamarah Lowery (1-3) earned the win for Fayetteville State (4-11), pitching five innings and allowing just one run on three hits, with one walk and four strikeouts.

The Broncos started strong, scoring one run in the top of the first inning, highlighted by freshman Angelica Locklear's run-scoring single. The Trojans were unable to respond, and the Broncos extended their lead to 3-0 in the second inning with freshman Xztashya Porter scoring the lone run.

Virginia State managed to narrow the gap to 3-1, but Fayetteville State's offense exploded in the third inning, scoring five runs, including a two-run single by freshman Treja Patterson, to make it 8-1. The Broncos continued to dominate, adding two more runs in the fifth inning, with freshman Laniyah Bethea contributing a one-out single to bring the score to 10-1. The Broncos' defense held firm, and the score remained unchanged for the rest of the game.

Freshman Cheyenne Payne led the Broncos with three hits, while Bethea went 2-for-2 with two RBIs. Payne also stole two bases, and the Broncos out-hit the Trojans 10-3. Fayetteville State's pitchers faced 20 Virginia State hitters, allowing two ground balls and nine fly balls while striking out four. The Broncos drew five walks from Virginia State's pitching staff. For the Trojans, senior Hailey Darri went 1-for-2 with an RBI and pitched 2.2 innings, allowing two runs.

The Broncos look to continue their success throughout the rest of the roundup in Raleigh, NC.