Myrtle Beach, S.C. -- Senior Maddie Daigneau (New River, Ariz.) went 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, while junior Julia Keffler (Huntingtown, Md.) hit an eventual game-winning, two-out, two-run triple in the fourth, as the UMBC Softball team rallied from a pair of three-run deficits to defeat Iona, 5-4 in the season-opener for both teams. 

Iona (0-1) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Retrievers responded in the bottom half. Sophomore Courtney Coppersmith (York, Pa.) doubled and eventually scored on an Anna Lonchar (Bristow, Va.) two-out single to trim the Gaels lead to 3-1.

Freshman pitcher Madie Leach (Erie, Colo), got the start in the circle and settled in nicely after the first inning. She escaped further damage when she was able to get a strikeout to end the top of the third and strand the bases loaded. Iona would scrape across a run in the top of the fourth to make it 4-1, but Leach was again able to limit the damage and strand a pair of runners. UMBC (1-0) would then respond in a big way in the bottom of the inning

Lonchar, Valerie Hammett (Mechanicsville, Md.) and Daigneau all singled to start the inning and load the bases with no outs. Sophomore Logan Hawker (Mechanicsville, Pa.) then ripped an RBI single that scored pinch runner Julia Colton (Elkridge, Md.) and a throwing error on the play allowed Hammett to score from second and shrink the Iona lead to 4-3. After the next two batters got out, Keffler slapped a triple down the left field line to score Hawker and Daigneau and give the Retrievers the lead for good. 

Coppersmith then came on to pitch and worked a hitless final three innings to pick up her second career save. She struck out eight of the ten batters she faced, including the first five she saw, and allowed just one walk. Leach picked up the win in her first career game, going four innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts.

The Retrievers have a rare evening doubleheader tomorrow, as they face Seton Hall at 4 p.m. and then follow that with a rematch with Iona at 6:15 p.m. UMBC closes play at the Ripley's Chanticleer Showdown against host Coastal Carolina at 1:15 p.m. on Sunday.