PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team concludes the regular season with a doubleheader on the road at Norfolk State University on Saturday, April 29.
Due to inclement weather in Sunday's forecast, the third game of the series has been canceled. Saturday's doubleheader was slid back by one hour, with first pitch now coming at 2 p.m. and a 4 p.m. contest to follow.
The Hawks enter the regular season finale at 13-26 overall and 8-8 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play. The hosting Spartans enter at 22-19 with a 12-6 MEAC record.
"We are looking forward to ending the regular season with a bang. This is our last test until tournament time," Hawks coach Karla Ross said. "The conference standings have been changing daily and we are looking to get two big wins this weekend."
Checking on the Hawks
The Hawks split with Hampton in a road doubleheader their last time out. They took game two by a 6-4 final after falling in game one.
Jaycee Holt led the Hawk hitters, going 3-for-4 in the second game. Kelsie Ekstrom drove in three runs and added a triple in the win.
Ryan Merriwether also picked up a pair of base knocks in the second game against the Pirates.
Katelyn Smitchko showed out in the win, going the distance in the circle and allowing just three earned runs with a pair of strikeouts.
Scouting the Spartans
Sophomore Kenna Higa and redshirt junior Yrral Davis lead the Spartan bats, carrying hitting clips of .316 and .313, respectively. Senior Gabby Vaughan leads the team in home runs with seven, a mark that ranks fourth in the MEAC.
Seniors Alexis Robinson and Cam Andersen lead the Spartan staff. The former leads the team with 114.2 frames in the circle and a 2.75 ERA (third in the conference), while the latter has earned a 3.09 ERA over 93 innings of work.
The Spartans have found a rhythm in April, winning their first seven in the month and holding a 11-4 record since the end of March.
Norfolk State enters on a two-game skid after losses to North Carolina State on April 26 and MEAC-foe North Carolina Central the day after.
Live stats are available at https://nsuspartans.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary. Follow @ESHawksSB on Twitter for live updates on all the action.
