Maryland softball split a home doubleheader with the St. Francis (Pa.) Red Flash on Tuesday. The Terps won the first game behind a strong pitching performance from junior Brenna Nation, but two big innings spelled their downfall in the nightcap.
Given that last year's Maryland team was swept by St. Francis in a similar doubleheader, a split would seem like progress. But this Red Flash team starts five freshmen, so it's a much different group than the one on last year's schedule. However, St. Francis still holds the best record in the Northeast Conference. The Red Flash knocked six home runs in two games against Wagner on Sunday.
Not a single ball flew out of the yard on a frigid Tuesday afternoon, but there was still scoring and excitement. Here's how it went down:
Game 1: St. Francis 3, Maryland 6
Brenna Nation tossed a complete game and recorded her third win of the season. The junior gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits, and struck out four compared to just two walks.
"I think first of all I'm in a lot better place mentally. It's been a struggle for me this season to find a stable point of ground," Nation said. "Also, [pitching coach Lisa Norris] and I have worked on things, and I've been studying the great pitchers of the game, so I think that helped a lot."
At the plate, Jordan Aughinbaugh reached base safely in all three plate appearances. The junior was 2-for-2 with a walk, while Sarah Calta and Skylynne Ellazar each went 2-for-3.
Sarah Calta led off the bottom of the first with a single, and came in to score after a passed ball and two wild pitches in the inning. Skylynne Ellazar reached on a walk and later scored on a two-out throwing error by St. Francis third baseman Kassidy Troxell. St. Francis got on the board with a run in the top of the second, but Maryland responded in the bottom of the frame. The Terps loaded the bases with no outs, but only brought in one run on a muffed grounder to short.
Maryland found itself in the same situation in the fifth, this time looking to extend a 3-2 lead. A Destiney Henderson srikeout and Kristina Dillard popout brought worries that the team would once again fail to capitalize. But Jordan Aughinbaugh walked, Corey Schwartz was hit by a pitch and Calta walked, which opened up a four-run margin.
St. Francis got one back in the sixth, but Nation held steady and retired the Red Flash in order in the seventh to close out the game.
Game 2: St. Francis 7, Maryland 3
Winning back-to-back games was a little too much to ask, I guess.
Hannah Dewey and St. Francis junior Alexis Bower matched scoreless frames through the first three, with Maryland threatening in the bottom of the first but leaving the bases loaded with one out. The Red Flash jumped out with four runs in the top of the fourth, three of them with two down. Dewey came out after allowing a leadoff single in the top of the fifth, as head coach Julie Wright turned back to Nation.
But Nation couldn't recapture the magic from earlier in the day. St. Francis managed two hits and two walks against the junior, who was quickly relieved by Madison Martin. By the time she finally retired the side, it was 7-0. The Terps scored runs in each of the final three innings, but it was far too little, far too late.
"They seem to hit better when it doesn't matter," Wright said. "That's a mental thing. I need them to get a little bit tougher, quite frankly."
Ellazar and Kristina Dillard combined for four of Maryland's eight hits (two each). Ellazar wrapped up the day 4-of-7 and will try to keep the momentum going as the weekend approaches.
"A lot of us in the upper half of the lineup are trying to string hits together, so we're just trying to bring that into Michigan State," she said.
On deck
As Ellazar alluded to, Maryland (9-26) will host Michigan State for a three-game weekend series. The Spartans are 19-17 on the season, but like the Terps, they're just 1-5 in Big Ten play. They dropped two of three to Wisconsin before being swept at Penn State. Michigan State's offense is less than potent, but the pitching staff holds a respectable 4.12 ERA (Maryland's is way worse).
Walk-off words
Head coach Julie Wright, not happy about the team's inability to capitalize with the bases loaded:
"At this point, they're taking too many good pitches to hit. They're watching too many strikes go by instead of hacking. Like, get in there and swing the bat with aggression. They're not doing it. And how to get them to change their mind, I don't know, do you have a suggestion? Because they are not following what we're telling them."