BALTIMORE—The UMBC softball team (10-9) jumped out to a 7-0 lead, then held on down the stretch to defeat Niagara (7-5) by a score of 8-7 Saturday afternoon on the second day of the UMBC Spring Classic at UMBC Softball Stadium. It was the fifth straight win for the Retrievers.
After the first 10 batters of the game went down in order, sophomore right fielder Ashley Scroggin (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) picked up the first hit of the day – a home run over the left field fence, her third of the season.
The score remained 1-0 until the fourth, when the Retrievers struck for four runs on four hits. With two outs, Scroggin laced an RBI double down the left field line to start the rally, which was capped by a two-run double by freshman shortstop Jessica Warner (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown).
UMBC then added two more in the fifth on a two-run homer by senior left fielder Julia Culotta (Street, Md./North Harford, Tennessee) that made it 7-0.
But senior hurler Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) allowed hits to the first two batters of the sixth inning, and Niagara second baseman Teresa Healey made her pay, blasting a home run to center field.
The Retrievers got one back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by senior second baseman Lauren Brummell (Hanover, Va./Hanover) that made it an 8-3 game, and Niagara did not go quietly in the seventh, scoring four runs on three hits.
Right fielder Alexis Wayne led off the inning with a home run, and four batters later, center fielder Kristin Sito smashed a three-run shot to pull the Purple Eagles to within one run, 8-7. But after two more batters reached, Weigman induced a groundout to end the game.
Weigman (7-5) picked up the complete game win despite allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits. Kim Bryson (3-2) gave up seven runs on seven hits in five innings and took the loss for Niagara.
Scroggin went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored to pace the Retrievers at the plate.
The Retrievers conclude the UMBC Spring Classic on Sunday, when they host Brown at 2:30 p.m.
