Washington, D.C. –  Freshman Maddie Daigneau (New River, Ariz. / Boulder Creek) and junior Tori Alexander (Woodbridge, Va. / Woodbridge Senior) both went 4-for-4 at the plate, as the UMBC softball team powered past host Howard 11-3 in six innings on Wednesday night. 

Daigneau scored three runs and slapped a pair of RBI triples in addition to two singles, while Alexander had an RBI and recorded a double along with three singles.

The Retrievers (6-14) got off to a quick start in the top half of the first inning, when Daigneau led off the game with a single, was then bunted over to second and advanced to third on a throwing error.  She was batted in off a sac fly from senior Kaelin Jackson (Export, Pa. / Franklin Regional). A two-out rally off a walk and Alexander's RBI double gave the Retrievers an early 2-0 advantage.

Senior Jessica Holte (Ashland, Va. / Atlee) set down the Bison in order in the bottom half of the first.  The Retrievers' bats stayed hot, tallying two more runs in the top of the second, off a Daigneau triple and a Jackson single.  The Retrievers tacked on another run in the third off a throwing error from the Bison.

The Bison (0-10) got two runs back in the bottom half of the third inning, but the Retrievers broke the game open with four runs in the fourth inning.  Daigneau's second triple of the game drove in one run, she then scored one batter later off a Jackson single.  Jackson scored off a sac fly from senior Kelly Lane (Albany, N.Y. / Colonie Central).  Alexander singled later in the inning and was brought around to score off a single from freshman Kennedy Lamb (Mexico, N.Y. / Mexico Academy and Central School).

After the Bison got one run in the bottom of the fourth, UMBC got a leadoff homer from sophomore Chelsie Delperuto (Syracuse, N.Y. / Solvay), the first of her career.  The Retrievers later tallied an insurance run in the sixth inning when Alexander scored on a wild pitch, and the game would end by run-rule when Howard went scoreless in the bottom of the sixth. 

Freshman Valerie Hammett (Mechanicsville, Md. / Chopticon) relieved Holte in the fourth and stayed in the duration of the game, grabbing her first career win. Hammett allowed one unearned run, and gave up three hits while striking out three.  Holte gave up two earned runs and three hits and walked two batters, while striking out two.

The Retrievers out hit the Bison 16-6 and had eight different players record a hit. 

The Retrievers return home to host the UMBC Retriever Classic, where they will play double headers against Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday and Rider on Sunday.