Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
BALTIMORE, Md. – UMBC
sophomore Caitlin
Chance (Easton, Md./Easton) laid down a squeeze bunt with
no outs in the bottom of the seventh and senior Katrina
Gaar (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar/Orange Coast
CC) raced home from third as the Retrievers scored two runs in the
inning to earn a walk-off victory against the St. Peter's Peahens,
4-3, and split Sunday's doubleheader at the UMBC Softball Stadium
and after dropping the first game of the day, 8-3.
The Retrievers took three out of four from the Peahens and have
now won six of their last seven contests.
Trailing 3-2 senior Ashley
Carver (Swoyersville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) hit a
lead-off double before advancing to third on a wild
pitch. She then scored on an errant pickoff attempt,
tying the score at three. The next batter,
freshman Courtney
Paone (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) singled to right
field and was replaced by senior Katrina Gaar (Newports
Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar/Orange Coast CC) as a pinch
runner. Sophomore Jessica
Warner (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) followed with a
double, her second hit of the game advancing Gaar to
third. Chance then laid down the bunt and Gaar ran home
with the winning run.
Junior pitcher Heather
Brown (Pasadena, Md./Northeast) threw a complete game for
UMBC and fanned nine batters to improve to 6-5 on the season.
Erica Colon was charged with the loss, giving up all four
runs on nine hits in six innings.
After the Peahens won the first game, they came out swinging in
the second as well and took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second
inning on a two-run double by Shelby Cogan. St.
Peter's extended its lead the very next inning, pushing the margin
to three with a leadoff homerun by Nicole Olmedo.
The Retrievers nearly struck right back with a two-out rally in
the bottom of the inning, but ended up stranding runners on first
and third.
Two innings later, though, UMBC picked up two key runs to keep
its hopes alive. Carver began the inning with a single
to center and advanced to second when freshman Courtney
Paone (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) drew a
walk. After Warner hit a fly ball to advance both
runners, Chance followed with a sacrifice fly to bring Carver in
for the Retrievers' first run. Freshman catcher Taylor
Hall (Cosby, Va./Cosby) drew a walk and then pinch runner
senior Becca
Bernheimer (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen) and
Paone executed a double-steal that resulted Paone scoring to bring
UMBC within one, 3-2.
Carver, Chance and Warner each finished the second game with
multi-hit efforts while Chance also drove in two runs and Carver
scored two.
St. Peter's won the first game of the day, 8-3, to salvage the
weekend series.
Both teams came out hot as St. Peter's took the lead in the top
of the first with one run, while UMBC responded with two in the
bottom half to take a 2-1 lead.
After a scoreless second inning, St. Peter's plated four runs in
the top of the third to build a three run cushion, 5-2; a lead they
would not relinquish.
The visitors added two more in the top of the fifth and another
in the top of the seven while the Retrievers could only respond
with one run in the bottom of the fifth.
Chance went 2-for-4 in the opener to lead UMBC with four hits on
the day to go along with one run and two RBIs.
UMBC returns to action on Tue., April 3 when they host
Georgetown at 2:00 p.m. The Retrievers and Hoyas were
scheduled to meet once last year in Washington, D.C. but the game
was canceled due to rain.
