PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team is flying high heading into its midweek doubleheader against Saint Peter's in Jersey City, New Jersey on Wednesday, April 12.
The Hawks enter the twin bill fresh off a sweep of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe Coppin State. UMES has taken four of their last five contests and sits at 10-17 (6-4 MEAC) on the season.
The Peacocks host the Hawks with a 17-11 record on the season, taking a break from Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play after dropping their first four league matchups.
"I believe that we match up well with Saint Peter's," Hawks coach Karla Ross said. "They are a team that we are familiar with and know that we can compete with."
Checking on the Hawks
Several Hawks stood out in the first sweep of the 2023 campaign last weekend.
Ameenah Ballenger collected two complete game wins in the circle, striking out 12 Eagles across her 14.0 innings of work. The Lansdowne, Pennsylvania native also piled up four hits including a pair of doubles, three RBI and a run scored in the series.
Kelsie Ekstrom came up big with the bat over the weekend as well. The junior from Riverside, California batted .500 (6-for-12) in the series with a pair of triples, three runs batted in and six runs scored.
Ekstrom has held it down behind the dish as well for the Hawks, ranking inside the top 30 nationally with nine runners thrown out on the season.
Jaycee Holt continued her recent hot streak, slapping five hits in the three-game slate. The freshman finished a home run shy of the cycle in game one, slapping a single, double and triple while scoring three runs. Holt also swiped a pair of bags on the weekend.
The Hawks have put their speed to use this season, ranking among the top 20 teams in Division I averaging 2.15 stolen bases per game.
"We are coming off an amazing weekend," Ross said. "We need to keep that momentum and drive into tomorrow and the weekend."
Scouting the Peacocks
After starting the season 3-3, the Peacocks rattled off a nine-game win streak to put a bow on February and open the month of March. The squad posted a 6-0 record against MEAC opponents in that streak, taking two from Delaware State and winning four in a row against South Carolina State.
The Peacocks have a 5-8 record over the 13 games since that streak ended. They enter after being swept by Marist in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 8.
Jess Forte has buoyed the Peacock bats in her sophomore campaign, toting a .407/.441/.637 slash line in 27 games. She leads the team in hits (37), home runs (5) and total bases (58) on the season.
Senior Cara McNulty and sophomore Dakota Pitts are each batting over .300 on the season to help lead the Peacock offense that averages 5.25 runs a game.
A pair of Sydney's have led the Peacocks pitching staff this season. Graduate pitcher Sydney Senerchia leads the team with 72.1 innings of action in the circle, making a team-high 12 starts on the year so far. Senerchia carries a 2.32 earned-run average and a 0.98 WHIP this season.
Freshman Sydney Palmer has served as the second half of the tandem, ranking second with 57.0 innings pitched. Palmer holds a 2.58 ERA on the year.
The Series
The Hawks and Peacocks have split the all-time series down the middle, with each squad taking seven games since they first met in 2013. Saint Peter's has claimed the last two contests.
The series began with three straight wins for UMES, who took three out of the four-game series to the Peacocks in 2013. Saint Peter's took that final matchup and the following four before the Hawks took the last of four from them in 2019.
2020 bore a doubleheader sweep for the Hawks, before the Peacocks took two of three from UMES a season ago.
First pitch from Jaroschak Field is scheduled for 3 p.m. with game two scheduled to begin at approximately 5 p.m. The doubleheader will be streamed at https://saintpeterspeacocks.com/watch/?Live=214&type=Live.
