SPARTANBURG, South Carolina — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team found themselves down four runs early on Sunday morning (Feb. 16) before putting together a comeback that fell just short in their matchup with Oakland University. Eastern Shore fell 4-3 in the final day of the Spartan Classic Tournament.

"The girls still had fight even though we were down early and that was the best part of the game," head coach Karla Powell said. "We continued to keep hitting and we got some great pitching that kept us in it until the last out."

The Hawks (1-8) found themselves down 4-0 headed to the bottom of the second. Senior Allison Gingrich (Landisburg, Pennsylvania) hit a one out RBI double to center field to score junior Jordan Robinson (Gaithersburg, Maryland). Two batters later, LeAnn Gingrich (Landisburg, Pennsylvania) reached on an error and her twin sister scored on the play to make the score 4-2.

In the sixth inning, sophomore Anissa Derifield (Woodbridge, Virginia) used her bat to get the team within one. She hit a double to left center that brought Robinson across home plate for the second time and made the score 4-3.

The Shore would get runners on first and second in the final inning with no outs. However, Oakland would get a strikeout and force a double play to end the game.

Derifield went 2-3 in the game and her classmate Rachel Gingrich (Landisburg, Pennsylvania) also got a hit in the game. Sophomore Nasya Goodman (Willingboro, New Jersey) threw five innings out of the bullpen and allowed just two hits.

Maryland Eastern Shore will not play again until the Coastal Carolina University Tournament in Conway, South Carolina beginning on Feb. 28.

For more information on Eastern Shore Athletics visit http://www.easternshorehawks.com/.