TOWSON, Md. – Megan Dejter and Julia Smith-Harrington each tossed a shutout and Shelby Stracher continued her home-run hitting binge to lead the Towson University softball team to a pair of non-conference victories over Morgan State Tuesday afternoon at the Tiger Softball Complex.
 
Stracher homered in each game of the doubleheader to back Dejter during an 8-0 victory in the opening contest and support Smith-Harrington in a 5-0 triumph.
 
Stracher has homered in four of Towson's last five games. She leads the Tigers with nine home runs and has 32 for her career, which is second all-time in school history behind Holiday Cahill, who hit her 33rd career blast in the nightcap.
 
For Dejter and Smith-Harrington, it was their second shutout each in Towson's last seven games combined. During the last seven games, Dejter and Smith-Harrington have combined for a miniscule 0.45 earned run average.  It was the second consecutive Tuesday that Towson blanked a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opponent.
 
Towson's pitching has turned around after a tough weekend series against James Madison in which they allowed 37 runs over 22 innings.
 
Records
Morgan State  19-14 overall
Towson           18-22
 
Quotable
Smith-Harrington on Towson's recent pitching after the JMU series.
"Megan and I work well together because we have each other's backs. We're always supportive of each other and wanting the other to do well. James Madison taught me I needed to have thicker skin and it was a learning experience. I had to be able to bounce back from something like that pretty fast because we're short on pitchers. I know that I am needed and I had to get over that weekend.
 
Stracher on what's made the difference her recent home run hot streak.
"I am seeing the ball better and taken a lot of pressure off of myself. I put a lot of pressure on myself at the beginning of the season, probably when I shouldn't have. I've been trying to get back to the basics of things and have good at-bats. I am doing anything differently other than going up to the plate with a clear mind."
 
How It Happened Game One

• Stracher and Nicole Stockinger led Towson's 12-hit offensive attack with three hits each.
• Stracher finished with three RBIs and a stolen base.
• Two of Stockinger's hits were doubles. She leads Towson with 13 doubles.
• Holiday Cahill also had a pair of hits.
• Dejter allowed three harmless singles.
• Towson started fast as its first four hitters reached base and came around to score in the first inning.
• Stracher's two-run single scored Kendyl Scott and Holiday Cahill for a quick 2-0 lead.
• Daria Edwards' RBI groundout produced Towson's third run of the inning.
• Stracher scored on an error to extend the Tigers advantage to 4-0.
• Stockinger delivered a RBI double in the third inning that gave Towson a 5-0 lead.
• Towson closed the game with three runs in the fifth inning thanks to Stracher's homer and RBI hits from Bailey Boyd and Olivia Baltazar.

 
How It Happened Game Two

• Stracher and Scott led Towson's offense with two hits each.
• Cahill had two RBIs for the Tigers.
• Smith-Harrington was spectacular in the circle, pitching in and out of trouble.
• The Tigers struck quickly with two runs in the first inning.
• Brook Miko and Stockinger had RBI hits in the first inning.
• Cahill, Scott and Stracher all enjoyed extra base hits to help Towson score three runs in the fifth inning.
• Cahill followed Scott's leadoff double with her fifth homer of the season.
• Two batters later, Stracher launched a shot to leftfield for her ninth homer of the season.
• Caroline Reid turned in the play of the game in the fourth inning.
• With two Morgan State runners on base and no outs in the fourth, Reid snagged a hard-hit line drive and turned it into a double play.
• Towson was 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

 
Inside the Numbers

• Stracher has homered in four of Towson's last five games.
• She's homered in consecutive doubleheaders.
• Towson has hit at least two home runs in five of its last seven games.
• The Tigers are 10-3 when it hits at least two home runs in a game.
• Towson has won 15 straight contests against MEAC opponents.
• The Tigers are 5-0 against MEAC opponents this season.
• Towson improved to 17-0 all-time against Morgan State.
• The Tigers have won 52 consecutive games when scoring at least seven runs.
• Scott leads Towson with 15 multi-hit games.
• Stockinger recorded her fourth three-hit game this season.
• Stockinger has reached base in 13 consecutive games.
• She has 11 multi-hit games this season.
• Stracher has 10 multi-hit games and two three-hit outings this year.
• Towson has collected double digit hits in a game 14 times this season.
• Towson has four shutouts in its last seven games. Overall, Towson has five shutouts this season.
• Dejter earned her 30th career win in the opener.
• It was Dejter's 47th career complete game, which is eighth all-time in program history.

 
Up Next
Towson remains home to host Howard Wednesday afternoon in a doubleheader. First-pitch is at 3 p.m.