COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore faced a tough test on Tuesday evening, falling 19-0 in five innings to Maryland in a non-conference road matchup. Despite the scoreline, the Hawks showed fight late, breaking up a no-hit bid in the fifth and loading the bases with no outs before the rally came up short.

The Score
Maryland  (16-25, BIG10 3-13) - 19
Maryland Eastern Shore (3-31, MEAC 2-12) - 0

How it Happened 
The Hawks were unable to find their rhythm offensively on Tuesday evening, falling 19-0 on the road in five innings.

UMES' defense played a clean inning in the first frame with freshman Kassidy Oneail striking out a Terrapin and junior Jaycee Holt fielding two fly balls to center field to flip the side. 

Maryland found its footing in the bottom of the second and never looked back. The Hawks were held without a hit through the first four innings and struck out 11 times against the Terrapins staff. UMES put runners aboard in the fourth and fifth frames, but the early deficit proved too large to overcome.

Freshman Tyla Dickerson led off the fifth with a walk to spark the Hawks' best scoring opportunity of the day. Junior Emily Gunther followed with a single up the middle—UMES' first hit of the game—before junior DeNae Ojeda laid down a well-placed bunt to load the bases with no outs. However, the Hawks were unable to capitalize, stranding all three runners.

Sophomore Paris Richards came on in relief and worked through the final inning, recording a lineout herself while the defense added a flyout and groundout in her first full frame of work.

UMES will look to bounce back tomorrow April 16 against Lincoln (Pa.) at Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex.

Quotes from Head Coach Aaron Robinson
Performance breakdown after today's matchup with Maryland
"We started off well, using their unsteadiness to our advantage and showing them something different. But then it started to get away from us. I think we got a little too comfortable, thinking we had control of the game.

We'd been relying on our defense to help us produce offensively, and when that stopped working—and Maryland started seeing our pitchers better and getting more consistent—we weren't able to adjust. We played a little bit on our heels, let balls drop in front of us that we were attacking earlier in the game. So it comes back to consistency. That's something I've been preaching all year—playing the same way every time we take the field."

Takeaways from today that can propel the Hawks back into the win column tomorrow against Lincoln (Pa.)
One of our players said it perfectly—we want to be the team that makes the other side feel what we felt today. Maryland put the ball in play, hit it hard, and forced us to work. That's what we want to do to our opponents—put pressure on them, make them make plays, and always come out ready.
This was a great experience. Late in the season, you want to leave games like this knowing you gave it your all, without any regrets. These are tough moments—when you walk off the field knowing you could've done more. Instead of just doing what we know how to do, we get in our own heads and miss out on the kind of experience we want.

Continuing to get valuable reps heading into the tail end of the 2025 season
We know what we need to do. We've had success when we put the bat on the ball—and when we haven't, we've seen the consequences. So this offseason, we've got to focus on consistency.

Each player has to figure out who they are within this program, what role they play, and how that fits into what we're trying to do. Then we've got to commit to making it happen. No gray areas. No waiting around for someone else to define what we're about. You define it, you go out, and you work for it.
That's the lesson they're starting to learn—you've got to be consistently working. Because when we let up, we don't just lose effort—we lose the potential we have to be great.

Next Up
UMES will look to return to the win column as the Hawks host Lincoln (Pa.) to begin a seven-game homestand at the Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex, starting with a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 16. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

Stay updated with UMES softball at UMESHawkSports.com and follow along on Twitter (@UMEShawksSB) and Instagram (@umeshawkssb).