PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — In their first home game in almost two years, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team defeated the Saint Peter's University Peacocks 8-3 on Friday (February 25) in day one of the Eastern Shore Classic.
The victory was the first of the season for the Hawks. The last win the team had was on March 4, 2020 in a game that was also against Saint Peter's.
The Peacocks scored in each of the first two innings on Friday to lead 2-0 heading into the bottom of the second. Sophomore Ah-Nayia Oglesby began the inning with a walk and stole second and third.
However, the next two batters struck out so the team was one out away from missing a golden opportunity to score. Freshman McKenzie Abiley made sure that did not happen as she hit a single to left field to bring Oglesby in to score.
Graduate student Kaylyn Sterling was up next and crushed a double to the center field wall and Abiley scored on the play to tie the game at two. Sophomore Tatum Kresley came up next and kept the two-out rally going by hitting an RBI triple to right field to score Sterling and push the Hawks in front 3-2.
One inning later, Eastern Shore drew three straight walks to load the bases and force a pitching change from the Peacocks. Following the change inside the circle, sophomore Ryan Merriwether hit a sacrifice fly into right field to bring classmate Ameenah Ballenger across home plate.
SPU would get a run back in the top of the fourth to bring the score to 4-3. The game stood at that score until the bottom of the sixth inning.
After seven straight Hawks had been retired, Merriwether hit a single into left field and advanced to second on the throw to lead the inning off. Abiley laid down a bunt for a single after that to put runners at the corners. Sterling then singled to score Merriwether as the score now stood at 5-3.
Abiley and Sterling each stole a base to have runners on second and third as Kresley came to bat. Kresley reached base on an error by the pitcher as Abiley scored, but she was called out at first base following a violation on the base pads.
Following a ground out to the pitcher, the Hawks led 6-3 and were facing two outs with a runner on third base. Sophomore Julia Garcia delivered in that situation with a RBI single to left field to make the score 7-3. She would eventually come around to score after two straight errors by Saint Peter's as Eastern Shore led 8-3 going into the final inning.
Ballenger, who pitched the final two innings of the contest, tossed a 1-2-3 seventh to secure the victory for the Hawks. She came inside the circle after graduate student Nasya Goodman threw the first five innings allowing five hits and striking out three batters.
Sterling led at the plate in her season debut as she finished 2-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Abiley also had two hits and two runs scored.
Maryland Eastern Shore will be back in action tomorrow (February 26) in day two of the Eastern Shore Classic as they face Lafayette College at noon followed by another matchup with Saint Peter's. Lafayette defeated SPU 2-0 in the first game of the day on Friday.
