PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team hosts Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference leader Morgan State for three games this weekend, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 15 at Henry S. Parker Complex.
The Hawks enter the series against the MEAC's top team at 10-19 overall, but hold a 6-4 record in conference competition. The Bears are tied with North Carolina Central with a 10-1 conference line, but Morgan has the best overall record in the league at 20-13.
"With three weeks left in the regular season, every weekend matters, especially this one because we play the number one team in the conference," Hawks coach Karla Ross said. "The girls have really bought in to practice and playing to our strengths this week."
Checking on the Hawks
Four Hawks hold averages above the .300 line for the season. Nola Mountain carries a team-best .337 batting average and is tied for the team-lead in total hits with 29. Mountain also leads the team in stolen bases, swiping 12 in her 14 attempts.
Kelsie Ekstrom continues to light it up with the bat as well, improving her slash line to .329/.407/.468 on the campaign. Ekstrom leads the team in doubles (7) and total bases (37) as well.
In addition to her pitching duties, Ameenah Ballenger continues to be a staple of the Hawk lineup, batting .325 and leading the team with 21 runs batted in.
Jaycee Holt ranks fourth on the team batting .309 on the season, and she shared the top in total hits with Mountain. She also ranks just behind Ekstrom with 35 total bases.
Ballenger and Katelyn Smitchko have comprised the two-headed attack in the circle for UMES. Ballenger's 6.49 ERA leads the Hawks, while Smitchko is ahead in total innings (86.0) with seven complete games so far.
Scouting the Bears
Morgan State enters the weekend slate after being swept in a doubleheader at Rider University on Tuesday, April 11. Prior to that, the Bears had won four straight, all against MEAC opponents.
Victoria Fletcher and Anaya Hunte lead the Bear bats with averages of .360 and .354, respectively. The former leads the team in total hits and bases while slugging .600 on the year, while the latter ranks first with three triples and fifth in total bases in just 48 at-bats.
The pair also does damage in the circle. Hunte has tossed a conference-best 114.1 innings with a team-low 0.90 WHIP, while Fletcher ranks second with 40.0 innings of work and the best ERA on the team (1.93).
"We know we can beat any team when we play our game," Ross said. "Morgan is going to be a great test to see the fight this team has."
First pitch on Saturday is slated for 1 p.m., with the second contest scheduled to begin around 3 p.m. from Salisbury, Maryland. Live stats will be available at https://easternshorehawks.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary.
Be sure to follow @ESHawksSB on Twitter for live updates.
