PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team welcomes Holy Cross for a three-game series this weekend, beginning with the squad's home opener on Saturday (March 11) at noon.
The Hawks enter the weekend slate with a 2-9 record on the season, while Holy Cross enters at 4-10.
The Crusaders and Hawks are familiar with one another, having already met once this season at the USC Upstate Spartan Classic. Holy Cross opened their season with a 14-5 win over the Hawks on February 17.
"Playing Holy Cross again in a three-game series is exciting," Hawks coach Karla Ross said. "The last time we played them we did a great job offensively, but made some costly mistakes."
Checking on the Hawks
Nola Mountain swung a hot bat for the Hawks in their twin billing against Towson earlier this week, going 3-for-5 in the box across the two games. The strong day brought Mountain's batting average up to .385, a clip that leads the Hawks.
Mountain also holds an impressive .500 on-base percentage. Her six walks ranks first on the Hawks this season.
Jaycee Holt and Ameenah Ballenger are the other two Hawks in the .300 club. Holt's .333 clip ranks second on the team, while Ballenger holds third with a .308 batting average with a double, homer and nine RBI's.
Katelyn Smitchko leads the Hawks in innings pitched through the first 11 games, working 30.2 frames thus far. Ballenger has piled up 25.1 innings of work in nine appearances in the circle.
After two tournaments to open the season, the Hawks are looking forward to their first of just 14 home contests this season.
"The ladies are excited to head back home after a couple weekends on the road," Ross said. "There is just a different feeling that hits you when you get to play at home."
Scouting the Crusaders
The Hawks aren't the only team to boast a hot-hitting freshman. Anna Brait, a first-year shortstop for Holy Cross, has put together a .366/.435/.488 slash line through 14 games and leads the team in each of those categories.
UMES knows Brait well, as she went 3-for-3 against the Hawks and drove in four runs.
Fellow freshman Ali Sniegocki and senior Kari Jacobson are each batting .286 on the season. The former ranks second on the team in slugging percentage (.429), while the latter holds the second-best on-base percentage (.394).
Unlike the mid-tournament matchup in February, Ross said getting time to fully do the homework on Holy Cross should help the Hawks in the weekend series.
"Getting a week to review scouting reports and really study our opponent helps this time around," Ross said. "We just need to play Hawk Softball the way I know we can."
Saturday's first game is scheduled for a noon start, with game two following 30 minutes after its conclusion. Sunday's (March 12) contest is also slated to begin at noon. All games will be played at the Henry S. Parker Complex.
Follow @ESHawksSB on Twitter to stay up-to-date on live action, as well as any potential schedule changes.
