MOUNT ST. MARY'S (13-15-1) vs. HOWARD (1-23)
Tuesday, April 8, 2014, 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. | Doubleheader
Emmitsburg, Md. | Our Lady of the Meadows Field

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MOUNT UPDATE: Following their first weekend of Northeast Conference play, the Mountaineers return to non-conference action to host Howard on Tuesday. The Mount has won four of its last five games and improved to 3-3 at home at Our Lady of the Meadows Field this season.

LAST TIME OUT: The Mount completed a 3-1 weekend in the first Northeast Conference action of the 2014 season with a sweep of Sacred Heart on April 5 and a split of a doubleheader versus Robert Morris on April 6. Nicole Pagano was the story with three shutouts, including a no-hitter against Sacred Heart to break the school record for career wins.

ABOUT HOWARD: The Bison kicked off the season with a 2-1 win over George Washington on March 7, but have since lost 23-consecutive games entering Tuesday's doubleheader. Over the weekend, Howard went 0-3 with three losses to Coppin State. Anasia Stinson, the Bison's most efficient hitter with a .333 batting average, leads Howard with 13 hits. In other action versus Northeast Conference opponents, Howard lost to Wagner by scores of 8-5 and 9-0 in a season-opening tournament in Washington, D.C.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. HOWARD: The Mount is 3-1 versus Howard in the all-time series, including an 8-0 win over the Bison last season on March 10. The two sides squared off three times in 2009 with the Mount winning twice and Howard winning once.

MAKING A NAME FOR HERSELF: On April 7, senior pitcher Nicole Pagano was named NEC Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season. Pagano ranks seventh among Division I pitchers with a 0.90 earned run average and 20th in strikeouts per seven innings (9.1). The Mount's captain has gone 36.1 innings without giving up an earned run. On April 5, Pagano broke the school record for career wins (46) set by Zena Edwards '89 with her third career no-hitter in a 2-0 win over Sacred Heart.

IN THE NEC: Through the first portion of the NEC schedule, the Mount is one of four teams with records better than .500 in league play. Saint Francis U is the lone undefeated team with a 2-0 record, while Bryant leads the league with five wins with a 5-1 mark. Sitting at 3-1, the Mount is third in the NEC with a .750 winning percentage against conference opponents.

UP NEXT: The Mount returns to NEC action with a road doubleheader at Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday, April 13, beginning at 1 p.m.