Maryland softball finds footing, goes 3-1 in Georgia

In its third tournament of the season, the Maryland softball went 3-1 in the Eagle Round Robin in Statesboro, Georgia.

During the four-game weekend, the Terps faced off against Furman, Monmouth, Evansville and Georgia Southern, ultimately defeating three teams and improving their overall record to 5-8.

Maryland softball crushes Furman, 9-2

The Terps started their weekend off strong, working consistently on offense to overpower the Furman Paladins Friday.

Sophomore Taylor Okada made it to first base before stealing second and third on a throwing error by the Paladins. Then, senior Anna Kufta hit an RBI flyout that brought Okada home, scoring Maryland’s first run of the game.

An RBI single from senior Amanda Brashear later that inning helped freshman Taylor Liguori score, though it was unearned against Furman pitcher Morgan Smith.

Freshman Courtney Wyche started the Terps in the circle, allowing no hits for the Paladins through the first three innings.

The Terps brought their lead to 5-0 by the end of the third inning, with runs from sophomore Regan Kerr, junior JoJo McRae and Okada.

Maryland continued the positive offensive streak with Kufta making it home again in the fourth inning.

However, the Paladins took advantage of the fourth as well, scoring two runs on two hits, but leaving three runners on base at the end of the inning.

With the score notched at 6-2, the Terps switched Wyche in the circle for freshman Trinity Schlotterbeck, who worked with the defense to make sure that the Paladins weren’t able to catch up.

Maryland added security with an additional three runs in the final two frames to come out on top 9-2 in the team’s most lopsided win of the season.

Terps fall just short in 2-1 loss to Monmouth

Head coach Mark Montgomery’s squad lost its offensive momentum in an almost painfully uneventful game against the Monmouth Hawks.

The Terps were only able to get one hit by Okada in the first four innings against Hawks pitcher Alyssa Irons, who stayed in the circle the entire game.

And while Maryland struggled, the Hawks found their stride in the second inning as junior Morgan Maziarz hit a two-run single, giving her team a two-run lead.

Maryland attempted to come back during the third inning with McRae scoring an unearned run after reaching on a fielding error and stealing second.

Senior Anna Kufta stood out defensively with three assists and a great grab during the fifth inning.

Other strong defenders were junior Taylor Wilson and Gracie Voulgaris, who had eight and six putouts, respectively.

With two runners in scoring position, Okada came to the plate in a prime spot to cut into the deficit. She’d been one of the Terps’ best run-producers on the season, racking up six RBIs to that point.

However, she grounded out, leaving the Terps behind late in the game.

Schlotterbeck stayed in the circle for the Terps for the duration of the game, making life challenging for the Hawks. But the final inning’s offense was simply not enough to close Monmouth’s 2-1 lead. The Terps left two runners on base in the seventh inning, ultimately falling to the Hawks in a tight game.

Maryland’s defense pulls through in 1-0 victory over Evansville

The Terps kept it simple for their second game Saturday in a 1-0 victory over the Evansville Purple Aces.

Wyche started the Terps in the circle, showing her defensive prowess throughout the game’s seven innings. She allowed only one hit and became the first Terp since Ashley Czechner in 2011 to record 15 strikeouts in a game.

Maryland got a couple hits in the first few innings, but wound up leaving runners on base.

In the sixth inning, though, the Terps pulled ahead of their opponents. Okada scored a run after an RBI to left field by Kufta, bringing the score to 1-0.

Voulgaris showed out in the field, with one assist and 15 putouts. The Aces couldn’t catch up to the Terps in the final innings, securing a second win of the tournament for Maryland softball.

Terps end weekend with 4-2 victory over Georgia Southern

The Terps secured a last-minute comeback victory over the Georgia Southern Eagles in their final game of the weekend Sunday afternoon.

Schlotterbeck stayed in the circle for the first five innings and there was little action on the bases until the third inning when the Eagles scored their first run. Senior Ellington Day was at third and made it home, scoring on a throw that caught another Eagle player stealing second.

Heading back to the dugout after loading the bases in the fifth inning, Maryland couldn’t quite capitalize on offensive opportunities to catch up to the Eagle — until the sixth inning.

With Okada and Kufta in scoring position, a two-run single by junior Shelby Younkin to left center field gave the Terps the chance to finally score.

But with Wyche up for the final two innings, the Eagles tied the score up going into the seventh inning, 2-2.

In the final, tie-breaking inning, the Terps found their offensive stride enough to push past Georgia Southern when they needed to most.

Three runners stole bases during the final innings, including sophomore Regan Kerr, who is now 10-for-10 on stolen bases for the season. Some top-notch RBI work from Kufta and Liguori brought two Terps home.

Wyche held down the Terps’ lead in the circle at the bottom of the seventh, securing a third and final win for the Terps this weekend, 4-2.

Three things to know

1. The freshman pitchers are not being overlooked. After losing three of five pitchers from last year’s roster, the Terps and Montgomery have been trying to find their strategy for who they put in the circle and when.

This weekend, the Terps stuck solely with two players: Schlotterbeck and Wyche.

Wyche especially stood out with a career-high 15 strikeouts against Evansville.

2. The lineup is coming together. For all four games of the Eagle Round Robin, the first four batters have remained the same: Kerr, Okada, Kufta and Liguori.

And it seems to be effective. Kerr is 10-for-10 on stolen bases, Okada has the highest batting average of the team at .438, Kufta has been integral in hitting RBIs to bring more Terps home and Liguori combines different specialties — with a high batting average (.289) and one of the highest number of hits this season (11).

3. The Terps’ record is improving. Undoubtedly, Maryland softball, under new coaching staff and with four newcomers, had a tough start to the season with a 2-7 record coming into this weekend.

However, this 3-1 weekend for the Terps showed improvement and now the team’s record is 5-8. Maryland will have to find its footing even more in the next three weekend tournaments before Big Ten games start, but for now, hope is certainly not gone.