NORFOLK, Virginia — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (18-33) opened Thursday's (May 12) Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament contest against host Norfolk State just the way they wanted with Tatum Kresley (Alburtis, Pennsylvania) reaching on an error. She proceeded to swipe second and move to third on a sacrifice by Kelsie Ekstrom (Riverside, California).
With a runner at third and just one out, you like your chances. But against the Spartans (33-22) in the elimination game the breaks didn't seem to come. Norfolk starter Alexis Robinson escaped the inning without damage. Then in each of the next three innings she did the same with a runner on third for The Shore.
"When that happens you see the momentum and you start to think we have to score," head coach Karla Ross said. "We have to score because eventually someone is going to score. It's been that way the whole year and you just know as a coach that if you don't score that something is going to happen not in our favor."
The Spartans broke through for three runs in the third inning and tacked on another in the sixth for a 4-0 victory and a Friday afternoon matchup with Coppin State. The Hawks saw their first trip to the MEAC Tournament since 2009 end after two games.
"It's like I told them, sometimes the softball Gods aren't in your favor and that's the way it was the last two days," Ross said. "I mean, we hit, we fielded and Saje Kurpiela (Campbell River, British Columbia) threw lights out in her first time throwing in a while. The first four innings we got a runner to three, but just — nothing happened. We have to have all the pieces put together. We had some of the pieces, but we were missing some of the puzzle today."
Kurpiela, who hadn't pitched in nearly a month, went 5 2/3 innings, gave up four earned, walked six and struck out five. It was a bumpy beginning as it took 28 pitches to get out a scoreless first and then in the second she took a line drive to the stomach, but shook it off and held the Spartans scoreless through four.
"She threw a lot of pitches," Ross said. "She has been on a pitch count for a while, but we told her this is do or die, so there is no pitch count today. We wish we had her more throughout the season. She had a lot of movement and her changeup was effective.
"In the fifth, we got the first out, misread a ball and the girl got to second and then things just started going in the wrong direction."
The junior righty struck out the first batter of the frame before a ball to right found its way to the ground. The next hitter stroked an RBI double deep over Kresley's head to the wall in center. Two batters later — with runners at first and third — a throw to the plate on a fielder's choice was too late and the Spartans led 2-0. They tacked on one more with a sac fly before Kurpiela coaxed a fly ball to left.
Down 3-0 in the top of the sixth, the Hawks continued to knock the ball around the field, but had nothing to show for it. It was a microcosm of a tough day at the plate for Eastern Shore. With one out, Naysa Goodman's (Willingboro, New Jersey) liner back at Robinson in the circle wedged between her body and her off hand for the second out.
Then Tyanna Roberts' (Woodbridge, Virginia) liner to the gap was caught on a dead run near the fence.
"They did well," Ross said. "They did what they were supposed to do, but we just couldn't get the runs and you have to score to win."
Goodman played her last game for the Hawks as did Roberts and graduate student Kaylyn Sterling (Half Moon Bay, California). But The Shore returns the rest of the roster.
"It gives you a lot to look at to think about going forward," Ross said. "This team is very young. They are mostly sophomores who are technically redshirt freshmen, because we didn't play last year. This gave them the experience of what they need to do in years to come to return here and to compete when we come back. I think it was first-time jitters and you don't want to use age as an excuse, but they weren't necessarily prepared for what they were going to face here."
