Game 2 Video Highlights

Baltimore, Md. -- Pitchers Madie Leach (Erie, Colo.) and Courtney Coppersmith (York, Pa.) combined to shut down Binghamton's offense, as the UMBC Softball team, took the second game of a doubleheader, 3-0, to split on Saturday. 

Leach (3-1) went the first four innings to pick up the win. She scattered five hits, with a walk and a strikeout, but kept the Bearcats off the board. Coppersmith faced the minimum and retired the final eight batters she faced, striking out five.

Binghamton (5-5, 2-5 AE) threatened in each of the first three innings, but Leach and the UMBC (12-6, 1-1 AE) defense kept it scoreless everytime. The Bearcats used a leadoff bunt single and a one out infield single to put two on with one out. Shanel Stott (Cumberland, Md.) dove to catch a liner and then made a strong through to first to double-off the runner and end the inning.

The following inning, Leach got a fly out to center to strand a BU runner and end that threat. In the third, an infield single and stolen base put a Bearcat in scoring position with one out. The next batter popped out, but the following batter singled up the middle. Keffler made a strong throw home from center to force the runner to stop halfway to the plate and go back to third. A walk then loaded the bases, but a groundout to second ended the inning with no damage.

The Retrievers took the lead in the third when Maddie Daigneau (New River, Ariz.) reached on a two-out error, and moved to second on a wild pitch. Julia Keffler (Huntingtown, Md.) then slapped a single to left to score Daigneau and put the Retrievers up 1-0. 

Madison Wilson (Abingdon, Md.) smacked a leadoff single up the middle, and pinch-runner Julia Colton (Elkridge, Md.) then moved to second on a passed ball. After a pop-up, Turner launched a double to the wall in left center to drive in Colton and push the lead to 2-0. Turner would later score on a throwing error to make it 3-0. 

Coppersmith entered to pitch the top of the fifth, and her first pitch hit the batter. The next BU batter attempted a sacrifice bunt, but catcher Anna Lonchar (Bristow, Va.) grabbed the ball in front of the plate and made a tough throw to just beat the runner at first. Turner got the throw at first and then wheeled around and threw to third and caught the leadoff runner trying to advance to third for the second out. Coppersmith than sat down the next seven in a row to secure her first save of the season. 

Binghamton used an eighth inning solo homer and great defensive plays to escape jams and take game one, 2-1 in eight innings.

The first game was a classic pitchers duel, as both teams used mistakes from the other to score. In the first, Binghamton singled and then the ball was thrown away on a sacrifice bunt allowing the runner to score. In the bottom of the fifth, Ashley Della Guardia (Phoenixville, Pa.) hit a leadoff double and scored after two wild pitches. 

The game would go to extras and the Bearcats hit a solo homer to go up 2-1 in the eighth. UMBC would load the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning, but Keffler ripped a line drive that was snagged by the BU third baseman who then doubled off the runner to end the game. 

Coppersmith took the tough-luck loss (7-2), allowing four hits (three infield singles), just one earned run, 12 strikeouts and no walks in eight innings pitched. Keffler, Wilson and Logan Hawker (Mechanicsville, Va.) joined Della Guardia with hits for the Retrievers. 

The two teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Sunday at noon. Only the first game will count towards the America East standings, as the second game will be a non-conference game.