DOVER, Del. — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore could not slow down a pair of strong Delaware State efforts on Saturday afternoon, dropping both games of its Mid-Eastern Athletic conference doubleheader. The Hawks fell 0-5 in the opener before dropping a 1-9 decision in six innings in the final game of the afternoon.

The Score
Game One
Delaware State (22-21, MEAC 7-9) - 5
Maryland Eastern Shore (5-35, MEAC 2-12) - 0

Game Two
Delaware State (23-21, CAA 8-9) - 9
Maryland Eastern Shore (6-35, MEAC 2-12) - 1

How it Happened 
Game one
UMES could not overcome a quick start by Delaware State, falling 5-0 on Saturday afternoon at Delaware State.

After a scoreless opening inning, Delaware State struck first in the second. Following a single and a walk, the Hornets executed a double steal to put two runners in scoring position. A softly hit infield single allowed the first run to cross, giving the Hornets an early 1-0 lead.

The Hornets tacked on another in the third with back-to-back two-out hits. A double down the right side set the table before another double extended the advantage to 2-0.

UMES threatened in the fourth after junior Jaycee Holt led off the inning with a double through the right side. Freshman Clarke Calvin drew a two-out walk to put two aboard, but Delaware State worked out of the jam to keep the Hawks off the board.

Delaware State added a third run in the bottom half of the frame, capitalizing on a one-out triple and a groundout RBI. Two more runs came home in the fifth on a two-run double to right field, widening the margin to 5-0.

Despite putting a runner on base in each of the final three innings, UMES could not break through against the Hornet pitching staff. The Hawks' lone hit of the day came from Holt's double in the fourth.

Sophomore Paris Richardson entered in relief and delivered a clean sixth inning, retiring the side in order to keep UMES within striking distance. Freshman Kassidy Oneail threw for five innings with three strikeouts. 

Game two
The Hawks jumped on the board first but could not hold off a late surge, falling 9-1 in six innings in Saturday's final game doubleheader. 

UMES struck early in the opening frame. Holt reached on an error, stole second, and came around to score on a squeeze by junior Paige Perkins, putting UMES ahead 1-0. Freshman Araceli Manzo kept the momentum going with a double to left, but the Hawks could not add on.

The Maroon and Grey held the lead into the second before the Hornets evened the score with a sacrifice fly. After a two-run double in the third, the Hawks found themselves trailing 3-1.

Manzo led off the fourth with a single, but UMES was unable to capitalize as the inning ended on a caught stealing. Despite reaching base again in the sixth on back-to-back singles by juniors DeNae Ojeda and Holt, the Hawks could not push another run across.

Defensively, UMES fought through multiple high-pressure innings, but Delaware State extended its lead with a trio of runs in the fourth, one more in the fifth, and two in the sixth to close out the game early.

Holt paced the offense with a hit and two stolen bases. Manzo finished with two hits (one double) and Ojeda added a single as the Hawks totaled four hits on the afternoon.

By the Numbers 

• Jaycee Holt hit her second double of the season in the fourth inning of game one against Delaware State. Holt's two stolen bags makes her one shy of a season high (26). 
• Araceli Manzo's two hit performance marks her third game out of five with at least two hits. 

Next Up
UMES will face Delaware State in the Hawks' final game of the 2025 season on Saturday, April 27, at noon. 

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