SPARTANBURG, South Carolina — Timely hitting and steady pitching pushed the University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team to a 4-2 win over South Carolina State in their second game on Sunday (February 19) to bring their trip to Spartanburg to a close.
The Hawks played two games on Sunday, dropping their first contest against George Mason before claiming their first victory of the young season against their familiar conference-mates.
"This team has continually gotten better with every game this weekend," Hawks coach Karla Ross said. "We have had our ups and downs, but today we came out on top. Very excited to see this team continue to grow as we go through the season."
Game One: George Mason 10, UMES 4
The Patriots retired UMES in order to open the game. George Mason's Rachel Warrens singled to open the bottom half, advanced to second on a wild pitch and stole third soon after.
A base-hit in the next plate appearance brought Warrens home, and the Patriots hit a solo homer before the end of the frame to give Mason a 2-0 lead.
The Hawks piled up three hits in the second, but could not push a run across. UMES held the Patriots off the board in the second, but George Mason added one more in the third to go up by three.
The fourth inning saw the Hawks turn the tides. With one out and an 0-2 count, Nola Mountain showed good two-strike hitting, securing a base-hit and advancing to second on an error. Ryan Merriwether singled in the very next at-bat, and Katelyn Smitchko reached on a fielder's choice to put Hawks on every bag.
McKenzie Abiley came through in the big spot, doubling to left and bringing Mountain and Merriwether home. Jaycee Holt was able to put the ball in play later in the inning, and an error allowed Smitchko and Abiley to score giving UMES a 4-3 lead.
George Mason responded quickly in the bottom half, driving in three to retake the lead. The Patriots added four more over the final two frames while holding the Hawks without another run.
Abiley provided pairs of hits and RBI's in the loss. Holt also drove in two runs, while Mountain collected two knocks in her three at-bats.
George Mason tallied eight hits and committed two errors, while UMES recorded seven hits and committed four miscues.
Jordan Anderson (1-0) earned the win, throwing three hitless frames and striking out three.
Ameenah Ballenger (0-2) was tagged with the loss. She worked the final five innings, allowing eight runs with only three of them being earned.
Game Two: UMES 4, South Carolina State 2
Early offense and Smitchko's pitching helped push the Hawks past their familiar MEAC foe on Sunday.
After blanking the Bulldogs in the top of the first, Holt slapped a leadoff single to left to open the bottom half. Holt was caught attempting to swipe second, but Mountain reached on an error in the Hawks second at-bat and advanced to second as well.
A wild pitch moved Mountain to third before Ekstrom earned a full-count walk to put runners on the corners. Ballenger fouled out in the next at-bat, but Ekstrom moved up to second on the throw and Kiyaira Hicks slapped a double to left to score both runners.
The very next inning, the Hawks saw four batters step in with the bases loaded. Two appearances ended in outs at the plate, but Ekstrom and Ballenger each earned free passes to walk two more in and give UMES a 4-0 lead.
S.C. State got on the board with a solo shot in the third, but Smitchko prevented further damage in the frame and blanked the Bulldogs for the three frames. S.C. State pushed one more run across in the seventh, but the Hawks closed down the final inning for their season's first victory.
Holt and Ah-Nayia Oglesby each recorded two hits and scored in the day's second contest. Hicks led the Hawks with two runs driven in, while Ekstrom and Ballenger's walks earned them one RBI each.
UMES earned eight walks in the victory. They logged eight hits and recorded two miscues, while the Bulldogs tallied six hits and an error on the afternoon.
Smitchko (1-1) earned the victory, going the full seven frames and surrendering just one earned run. Smitchko walked two and struck out two in the outing.
Zarria Smith (0-1) was handed the loss, allowing four earned runs and walking three while recording just four outs.
The Hawks next action comes in Charlottesville, Virginia, with the squad participating in the Cavalier Clash hosted by the University of Virginia from February 24 – 26.
UMES will face Virginia on the opening evening, Howard and George Washington on Saturday (February 25), and St. John's and Longwood on Sunday (February 26). Sunday's contest will be played at Longwood University.
