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Box Score 2 Baltimore, Md.-- Freshman pitcher Courtney Coppersmith (York, Pa) struck out 13 batters and scored the winning run as the UMBC Softball team took game one of a doubleheader, 4-2, against Binghamton on Sunday afternoon. The Bearcats took the second game, 9-0 in five innings.
Coppersmith went the distance to improve to 10-6 on the season, becoming the first Retriever to win double digit games in a season since Jessica Holte won 13 in 2016. The lefty allowed just two hits and two walks in the win.
UMBC (14-12, 1-1 AE) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third when Anna Lonchar (Bristow, Va.) clobbered a 3-2 pitch over the wall in straight away centerfield for her third home run of the season. Binghamton (11-13, 1-1 AE) responded with a run in the top of the fourth after a leadoff walk, stolen base and then a single up the middle.
It was then the Retrievers turn to answer in the bottom of the fourth, as a Maddie Daigneau (New River, Ariz.) single, fielder's choice and a walk loaded the bases. Daigneau would score on a wild pitch to put UMBC back in front 2-1, but the Bearcats escaped any further damage.
Binghamton would leadoff the fifth with a solo home run to once again tie the game, but it was short lived as the Retrievers answered with two in the bottom half of the inning.
Coppersmith started the inning by drawing a walk and moved to second on a Julia Keffler (Huntingtown, Md.) sacrifice bunt. She then got to third when Daigneau reached on an error, and then scored the eventual winning run when Sierra Pierce (Youngstown, Ohio) doubled to the gap in right center. Valerie Hammett (Mechanicsville, Md.) followed with a sacrifice fly to score Daigneau for the final run of the game.
Imani Dawson (Hanover, Md.) had the other hit for the Retrievers, a sixth inning double. Coppersmith retired the final nine batters she faced.
In the second game of the day, the Bearcats jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second and never looked back. Gillian McCarthy (Northfield, N.J.) took the loss, while Hammett pitched 3.1 innings of relief. Pierce and Kaly Winslow (Leesburg, Va.) had the two UMBC hits in the game.
The two teams meet tomorrow at 1 p.m. for the rubber game of the series.
