University of Delaware sophomore pitcher Carolynn Sloat
(Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa) threw an eight-hit shutout as the Blue
Hen softball team blanked the University of Maryland, 2-0, in the opener
before the Terrapins responded to win the second game, 11-1 in five innings, as the teams split a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at the Terrapin Softball Complex.
The first game remained scoreless until the top of the seventh, when
freshman second baseman Allison Borchers (Fallston, MD/Fallston) led off with a walk and scored when freshman first baseman Barbara Traynor (Wheaton, IL/Wheaton Warrenville South) followed with a double to rightfield. Elyse Lucas then came in to relieve Terrapin starter Jessica Aditays, and after she struck out freshman catcher Natalie Savona (Stamford, CT/Stamford), Traynor moved to third on a passed ball. Freshman designated player Jessica Ralston (Boonton Township,
NJ/Montville Township) then struck out, but senior leftfielder Lauren
Gardner (Chelmsford, MA/Chelmsford) followed with a single to shortstop to score Traynor with the second run of the game.
Sloat allowed a pair of two-out singles to Nneka Cardoza and Crystal
Tweedy in the bottom of the seventh, but got Jenny Belak to fly out to right to end the game and post her eighth shutout of the season, tied for second on the Delaware single-season list. Sloat, who improved to 16-11 this season, scattered eight hits and walked two while recording two strikeouts in the victory. Aditays took the loss and fell to 8-4 on the year after allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits while striking out six in six-plus innings of work.
The Blue Hens, who are now 27-23 this season, took the lead during the
top of the first in the second game when senior rightfielder Kelley Pastic (Centreville, VA/Chantilly) worked a one-out walk, stole second when Borchers struck out, and scored on a single to center by Traynor. However, Maryland, which is now 24-19, came right back with three runs in the bottom of the frame off Delaware junior starter Lindsay Jones (South Milwaukee, WI/South Milwaukee).
Cardoza led off by singling into left, and one out later Lindsay Klein
walked to put runners on first and second. After the runners moved up on a groundout, Crystal Rizzuto ripped a two-run double to leftcenter and came around to score when Abbey Welch followed with a single to center. Natalie Grossman led off the bottom of the second with a bunt single, and after Tweedy singled, both runners scored when Cardoza doubled down the left field line to make it a 5-1 game. One out later Klein tripled to right to plate Cardoza, and Klein then beat Traynor’s throw home when Keri Lounge hit a groundball to first to put Maryland up six runs.
Sophomore pitcher Kelsey Knapp (Leechburg, PA/Kiski Area) entered in
the bottom of the third inning and retired the first Terrapin batter before issuing a one-out walk to Grossman. After Grossman stole second Knapp got the second out of the inning, but Grossman scored when Cardoza reached on an error by Borchers. After Belak was hit by a pitch, Klein drilled a three-run home run to center as Maryland took an 11-1 lead.
Jones fell to 1-2 after allowing seven runs on seven hits while walking
one in the first two innings, while Knapp gave up four runs, one earned, on three hits with a pair of strikeouts in two innings as Delaware allowed the most runs in a game since an 11-0 loss to Hofstra on April 12, 2003. Maryland pitcher Crystal Crews improved to 5-7 as she allowed one run on four hits while striking out seven.
Delaware concludes its regular season this weekend with a three-game
series at James Madison. The Blue Hens and Dukes will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday, with action on both days beginning at 2 p.m. Delaware needs to win at least two games in the series to advance to next week’s four-team Colonial Athletic Association Tournament.
AGATE:
Game 1
Delaware..............0...0...0...0...0...0...2 - 2 5 0
Maryland..............0...0...0...0...0...0...0 - 0 8 0
UD: Sloat and Savona. UM: Aditays, Lucas (7) and Smith. DP: UD - 2, UM
- 1; LOB: UD - 3, UM - 8; 2B: Traynor (UD), Klein (UM), Welch (UM); HBP: Savona (UD); SH: Gardner (UD), Lounge (UM); CS: Pastic (UD); WP: Sloat (16-11), LP: Aditays (8-4).
Game 2
Delaware..............1...0...0...0...0 - 1 4 1
Maryland..............3...4...4...0...x - 11 10 0
UD: Jones, Knapp (3) and Ralston. UM: Crews and Greyson. E: Borchers
(UD); LOB: UD - 3, UM - 5; 2B: Traynor (UD), Cardoza (UM), Rizzuto (UM); 3B: Klein
(UM); HR: Klein (UM); HBP: Belak (UM); SB: Pastic (UD), Grossman (UM); WP: Crews (5-7), LP: Jones (1-2).