STONY BROOK, N.Y.—Senior Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge,Md./Archbishop Spalding) tied UMBC's all-time wins record with her 57th career victory, a 9-5 Retriever win in the first game of a doubleheader over America East rival Stony Brook (9-15, 0-5 AE) Saturday afternoon. UMBC (16-12, 2-3 AE) also won the nightcap, 6-5.
Game 1: UMBC 9, Stony Brook 5
With two on and two out in the first inning, the Retrievers got three consecutive hits, including a two-run double by junior catcher Angela Yannone (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake), which led to four runs.
After Stony Brook scored an unearned run in the third, UMBC scored twice in the top of the fifth, but the Seawolves responded with two of their own in the bottom of the inning. But the Retrievers got those runs back in the sixth, using back-to-back RBI singles by senior center fielder Lynn Pronobis (Waldorf, Md./McDonough) and senior left fielder Julia Culotta (Street, Md./North Harford/Tennessee) to take an 8-3 lead.
Two walks and two hits resulted in two more runs for Stony Brook in the bottom of the sixth, but UMBC freshman shortstop Jessica Warner (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) blasted her third home run of the season with two outs in the top of the seventh to account for the 9-5 final score.
Weigman (9-7) allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk while striking out four in five innings, and she tied Lauren Nicholson's school record with her 57th career victory. Colleen Matthes took the loss for the Seawolves after giving up four runs on three hits and two walks in just two-thirds of an inning.
The Retrievers collected 13 hits in the game, led by Yannone, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
Game 2: UMBC 6, Stony Brook 5
The Retrievers had another big first inning in the second game, as junior first baseman Katie Ferguson(North East, Md./North East/Cecil CC) smashed a three-run homer, her third of the season, with two out.
The Seawolves got four hits in the second to tie the score, but the Retrievers scored three more runs in the third to take a 6-3 advantage, which they maintained until the fifth, when Stony Brook scored twice on back-to-back doubles and a steal of home.
But the one-run lead held up over the final two innings, as Weigman retired eight of the 10 batters she faced in 2.2 innings of relief to earn her first save of the season.
"These were two huge wins for us," head coach Joe French said. "We got good pitching and clutch hitting. It was good to start both games putting up two-out runs in the first inning."
Sophomore Heather Brown (Pasadena, Md./Northeast) improved to 3-0 with the win, despite allowing five runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings of work. Matthes again suffered the loss for Stony Brook after giving up six runs (five earned) on nine hits and four walks in the complete game.
Ferguson paced the Retrievers at the plate with a 3-for-4, 3-RBI effort.
UMBC and Stony Brook play the series finale Sunday at 12 p.m.
