PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team hits the road for its final midweek showdown of the season, battling Hampton University in a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 26 in Hampton, Virginia.
The Hawks enter at 12-25 and 8-8 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference action. UMES currently holds the fourth seed in the standings, with Howard (8-9) and Coppin state (8-10) close behind.
Hampton enters the twin bill with a 13-25 record and a 3-14 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Pirates have dropped their last two contests and hold a 3-10 record in the month of April.
"We are looking to finish our midweeks strong going into our last conference series with Norfolk State this weekend," Hawks coach Karla Ross said. "Hampton is a very competitive team as well, but I think we match up with them well."
Checking on the Hawks
Ameenah Ballenger had a strong series with the bat against Howard over the weekend, batting 5-for-8 (.625) with two doubles and a team-best six runs driven in. The Lansdowne, Pennsylvania native also tossed 12.0 innings in the circle in the three-game series.
Kelsie Ekstrom has also continued to rake, batting .500 (8-for-16) against Mount St. Mary's and Howard last week. The junior collected a 4-for-4 day in the second of two versus the Mount.
Nola Mountain carries a team-best six-game hitting streak into the final midweek of the campaign. Mountain's last hitless effort came back on April 15 against Morgan State.
Scouting the Pirates
Fifth-year outfielder Kayla Domon leads all qualified Pirate hitters with a .295 batting average. Domon also carries a team-high .442 slugging percentage.
Domon's classmate, Janae Lyles, has held the hottest bat despite appearing in just 19 games this season. Lyles has hit .373 with a team-best .879 OPS in her 59 at-bats on the year.
Sophomore Jada Evans leads the Pirate pitchers with 90.2 frames of work and a 3.71 ERA this season. Fifth-year pitcher Emily Workman and freshman Carmynn Bonner each have logged over 50 innings, while junior Jordyn Scott has tossed 47.2 frames to round out the staff.
First pitch on Wednesday is scheduled for 1 p.m., with a 3 p.m. contest to follow. Follow @ESHawksSB for live updates, live stat links and more.
