SUMMARY
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team dropped its final game of the 2026 season, 3–1, to Delaware State on Sunday afternoon.

UMES recognized its seniors Tia Dixon (manager), Emily Gunther and Paige Perkins  prior to first pitch.

Trailing by three in the seventh, the Hawks threatened late for the second straight day. With two outs, Ryleigh Lilly delivered an RBI double to plate UMES' lone run, but a groundout ended the rally and the Hawks' 2026 campaign.

Chloe Weber tossed a complete game in the circle and led the Hawks at the plate with three hits.

THE SCORE
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (15–33, 5–16 MEAC) — 1
Delaware State Hornets (26–16, 15–6 MEAC) — 3

HOW IT HAPPENED
UMES and Delaware State's Game 3 turned into a pitchers' duel, with five of the seven innings played scoreless.

The Hornets struck first despite the Hawks recording back-to-back outs to open the game. Consecutive doubles brought in the first run for Delaware State, but the momentum was halted when Skylar Skinner threw out a runner at home.

UMES was held scoreless through six innings, tallying five hits while leaving five runners on base. Chloe Weber delivered a strong outing in the circle, allowing six hits and striking out one, while also leading the Hawks offensively with three hits.
Delaware State added two insurance runs in the seventh, scoring on three hits and one error to extend its lead.

Looking for a late response after Saturday's Game 2 loss, UMES had one final opportunity in the seventh. Weber reached on her third single of the day, and Gabriella Beltran entered as a pinch hitter, reaching on a fielder's choice. With two outs, Ryleigh Lilly, pinch hitting for Clarke Calvin, delivered an RBI double to right field to bring home Beltran.

The rally was cut short, however, as a groundout to shortstop ended the game, closing out the Hawks' season with a 3–1 loss.


BY THE NUMBERS
Chloe Weber recorded a season-high three hits in today's game.

Clarke Calvin and Ryleigh Lilly each recorded doubles, marking their eighth and third of the season, respectively.

Makalah Clark's stolen base increased her season total to 14, which leads the team.

COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH AARON ROBINSON
On the final two games of the series
"I think this series really comes down to those last two games. We just weren't fully who we are. And what I mean by that is, when we come together collectively—communicating, supporting each other, and doing everything we need to do—we're capable of a lot. But when stress, worry, and pressure start to creep in, especially with a younger team, it can affect us.
At times, we needed to take a step back, reset, and focus on doing our individual jobs. We started to do that late in both games, but it was just a little too late. Morgan did their job throughout the series, and that put pressure on us. With the youth we have, I think that showed at times.

Now, looking at the bigger picture, I do think this season was successful. We improved our overall wins and our conference wins. Our pitchers became more consistent, and we made some key adjustments throughout the season. One that stands out is moving Kinsey to center field. And then you look at our three starting pitchers—they threw complete games in each of the last six games.
So just overall, I'm proud of this group's development and how they finished the season."

On the Hawks' development this season
"Without a doubt, they grew in the way we needed them to. They embraced the experience and stepped up to the challenge. They wanted opportunities, and once they got them, they worked to keep them.
You saw that with our pitchers—they put in the work at the right times and learned to trust themselves, while their teammates trusted them as well. Defensively, we improved a lot. We got better at moving on from mistakes, having a short memory, and staying focused inning by inning.
Toward the end of the season, we really found a groove with that—flushing things and focusing on the next opportunity, knowing it could be the one that changes everything."

Next up for the UMES softball program
"Right now, it's about giving the team some time to process everything. We'll have end-of-season meetings to check in and have some meaningful conversations.
A lot of our players are planning to compete in collegiate summer leagues, which is great—they want to keep improving. I think they've seen what we're capable of and now want to take that next step individually and as a group.
We're also going to focus on building that connection with our incoming players. We have a mix of experience returning—players who've been here two or three years—and we want to integrate the newcomers as smoothly as possible. That starts this summer, just staying connected, helping them get to know each other, and eliminating some of those early-season jitters so we can be ahead of the curve."

On the support from the university, community and fans 
We truly appreciate the support. It's brought people together—our university community, softball fans, and the local community as a whole. It's given people something to look forward to and another way to connect with UMES.
We're proud to represent Hawk Pride and show who we are. We want to continue building this program and putting ourselves on the map, not just athletically but alongside the university's academic excellence as well.