The University of Maryland Eastern Shore closed out its home slate with a doubleheader split against Hampton on Tuesday afternoon.

After a late rally fell short in an 8-4 loss in game one, the Hawks bounced back behind aggressive baserunning and a strong outing from freshman Kassidy Oneail to take game two, 3-1.

The Score
Game One
Hampton (11-18, CAA 7-9) - 8
Maryland Eastern Shore (5-35, MEAC 2-12) - 4

Game Two
Hampton (12-18, CAA 8-9) - 1
Maryland Eastern Shore (6-35, MEAC 2-12) - 3

How it Happened 
Game one
Despite a two-run rally in the seventh inning, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore came up short in Tuesday's home doubleheader finale against Hampton, falling 8-4 at home.

The Hawks erased an early deficit with a two-run third inning but were unable to slow Hampton's offense late.

After falling behind 2-0 on a home run in the third, UMES quickly answered. Juniors Jaycee Holt and DeNae Ojeda reached base to set the table, and both came around to score — one on a wild pitch and another on a walk — to even the game at 2-2.

Hampton responded with a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to reclaim control. The Pirates added three more in the top of the seventh, capitalizing on a two-out rally and a defensive miscue.

UMES showed fight in the final frame. Freshman Clarke Calvin led off with a single and later came around to score on a wild pitch. Freshman Lola Meyer drew a walk and came home on a two-out RBI double to center by freshman Tyla Dickerson. Junior Paige Perkins followed with a walk to bring the tying run to the plate, but a flyout ended the comeback attempt.

Ojeda led the way at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored. Holt reached base three times and swiped a bag. Calvin added a hit, a stolen base, and a run.

Game two
Behind strong baserunning, The University of Maryland Eastern Shore earned a 3-1 win over Hampton in the second game of Friday's home finale.

The Hawks capitalized on Hampton miscues and aggressive base running to take control with a two-run third inning.

After a scoreless first, freshman Makalah Clark jump started the offense in the third with a single and stolen base. Holt reached on an error to put runners at the corners, then swiped second while Clark raced home for the game's first run. Ojeda followed with a single to center to make it 2-0.

Clark added another hit in the fourth and finished the day 2-for-2 with a run and a stolen base. Holt walked and stole two bases, scoring twice. Dickerson added an RBI single in the fifth to give UMES a 3-0 cushion.

The Hawks defense was sharp behind Oneail, who scattered four hits over seven innings while allowing just one earned run. Hampton scratched across a run in the seventh, but a flyout to center field closed out the win.

By the Numbers 

• Tyla Dickerson wrapped up the day with three hits and two RBI, extending her hit streak to a season-best three games. The Federalsburg, Maryland native now has four hits in her last three outings.
• DeNae Ojeda matched her season high with two hits in game two, while 
• Clarke Calvin pushed her hit streak to seven games after collecting a knock in both contests. 
• Makalah Clark recorded her second multi-hit performance of the season, going 2-for-2 in the finale. 
• In the circle, Kassidy Oneail went the distance for her fifth complete game, allowing just two earned runs across seven innings while facing 33 batters.

Quotes from Head Coach Aaron Robinson
Robinson's takeaways after getting the win in game two against Hampton
"Yeah, I think we just had to get to the point where we were tired of being in control of games for 75, 80, even 85% of the time — and then not finishing. That's something we talked about a few days ago. In game one, we experienced that again. We were in it, and then we let up. And we couldn't really justify how or why that happened.

So heading into game two, we said, "Let's leave it all out there. We've got nothing to lose." We've played teams close that Hampton has beaten, and we beat Hampton today. So, you know, that kind of gives us a little redemption with some of the other teams we've faced this season.
We also have to be aware of who these teams play, who's in their conference, and what our wins do to their postseason hopes — even just morale-wise. You've got to want to stick it to other teams the way they've stuck it to us. That's part of the game — it's about competing and getting that get-back."

Robinson on the Defense in game two versus Hampton
"We bounced back quickly and really well. Whatever hit them after the first game, they didn't want to settle for anything less than giving it their all. And they backed up their pitcher.

We still showed some youth — some moments of inexperience and chaos in different situations — but overall, we had a solid enough body of work throughout the seven innings to close it out and finish on top.
They threw back-to-back lefties at us — which we've barely seen this year — and that gave us a different look. But our hitters adjusted. We made some changes, and we were ready to jump on them and play the long game. That's something we've been working on all season, especially later in the year."

Robinson on what he's seen from the younger players as the season winds down?
"This year has really been about our younger players learning to trust themselves. Trusting that they belong at this level, that they can compete here, and then going out and doing it — without overthinking it.

Now they're starting to believe it. They've taken their lumps, they've had moments of success, they've put runs on the board. Now it's about putting it all together at the same time. And that's growth."

Robinson on the mindset going into this final series of the season?
"We don't have anything to lose. And honestly, I've said before — we're hard to scout. We haven't been consistent, so teams don't always know what they're going to get. Some days, we can jump out, steal bases, put up runs, and play aggressive. Other days, it's just not there. So in a way, that unpredictability can work to our advantage.

I talk to the Delaware State coach all the time. For them, making the tournament is a big deal — it's the first time since 2017. But now they want a winning record. There's a difference between 19-23 and 21-20, and they want to be able to say they had a winning season.
It's our job to shake that up. Just like we did today, we want to go get three wins and make a statement heading into next year. We're going to face a few different pitchers — they'll throw four arms in one game or ride someone all seven innings — so we have to be ready for anything.
We're just now starting to understand that we can keep going, we can finish games, and we don't have to let up when we're ahead. That's the biggest lesson we've taken from this stretch."

Next Up
UMES jumps back into MEAC play on Saturday, April 26, hosting Delaware State in the final series of the season. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.


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