PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - As the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Softball Team returns from their annual spring break rodeo, the club will begin conference play with the Delaware State Lady Hornets at Hawks Field.

The three-game series begins with a doubleheader Saturday, March 19 at 10 a.m., followed by a seven-inning contest Sunday, March 20 at noon.

LAST TIMEOUT

This past week, the Lady Hawks went 1-5 as they faced Savannah State (SSU), South Carolina State (SCSU), and North Carolina Central (NCCU).

UMES lost game one to the Tigers, 2-1, then fell in the second game, 8-2.

Maryland Eastern Shore erased an early deficit to win against the Lady Bulldogs, 14-7, and snapped an eight-game slide. SC State defeated the Lady Hawks in the first game, 4-2.

NC Central blanked the Lady Hawks in game one, 6-0, then used three dingers to down UMES in the nightcap, 13-4.

MATCHUP PREVIEW

Delaware State (7-12) enters conference play as a contender for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Title. Before the season, the club was predicted to win the MEAC Northern Division while seeing seven Lady Hornets earn Preseason All-Conference Honors. Speedster Nicole Gazzola spearheads the attack with a .443 batting average and 16 stolen bases. Catcher Sandy Hawthorne is among the big bats in the lineup, leading the squad in RBIs (13). In the circle, Tara Tursellino guides the club in every major pitching category, including innings pitched (48.0), strikeouts (32), and wins (4).

After beginning the season 4-4 overall, the Lady Hawks (5-13) have lost nine-of-their-last 10 contests. Despite the recent struggles, seniors Vanessa Gomez (Belleville, N.J.) and Trenece Nash (Decatur, Ga.) have guided the offense. Nash leads the club in batting average (.361) while the New Jersey native ranks No. 1 on the squad in hits (19), RBIs (11) and walks (10). Fellow classmate Kaitlyn Hitch (Delmar, Del.) has swung the bat solid through nonconference action with a .318 average. Sophomore pitcher Adrienne Guerra (Monrovia, Calif.) remains the club's No. 1 hurdler as she leads the team in innings pitched (58.2), strikeouts (45), and wins (3).

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Next weekend (March 25-26), the Lady Hawks travel to Baltimore where they will meet in-state foe Coppin State in a three-game series.

The series starts with a doubleheader Friday, March 25 at 1 p.m., followed by a seven-inning game Saturday, March 26 at noon.

For complete recaps, results and news of Hawk athletics, please visitwww.umeshawks.com .