The University of Maine softball team’s home opener was a long time coming this year because of poor weather, but they finally took to Mike Kessock Field last weekend for a three-game set against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
The Black Bears lost the first game Friday afternoon before splitting a doubleheader on Saturday.
The Terriers improve to 24-16 and 2-6 in America East play, while the Black Bears fall to 14-13 and 6-5 in conference.
“It is nice to be home,” UMaine head coach Lynn Coutts said. “But when you don’t win it doesn’t matter where you are. It doesn’t feel so good.”
UMaine drops home opener 3-0
The Black Bears fell in the first game of the series at the hands of freshman Jessica Holte, who went all seven innings, scattering four hits and striking out three.
The Black Bears struggled offensively in the game, though they had a chance to score in the bottom of the second when junior center fielder EmJ Fogel singled to right field and got to second on a wild pitch. Freshman third baseman Shelby Obert walked with two outs, but Holte struck out junior first baseman Nikki Byron swinging to end the threat.
The Terriers put a pair across in the fourth thanks to good baserunning and an error.
Sophomore Bridget O’Malley and catcher Taylor Hall led off with a pair of walks, with senior outfielder Megan Sauble pinch running for Hall. Sophomore designated hitter Danielle O’Neill singled into left and O’Malley scored on an error by UMaine freshman left fielder Samantha Ralphs.
A fielder’s choice advanced O’Neill and Sauble to second and third before freshman left fielder Kelly Lane drove in Sauble with a bloop single to right field.
UMaine senior starter Hannah Hill pitched well despite the loss, going all seven innings and giving up three runs, two of them earned, and striking out six.
The Black Bears had a good opportunity to come back in their half of the frame. Senior designated hitter Jean Stevens lined a single up the middle and was pinch run for by sophomore Lydia O’Connor. O’Connor reached second on a wild pitch and freshman catcher Rachel Harvey singled to the pitcher to put runners at the corners. Obert grounded a ball to junior second baseman Kaitlin Olesky who tagged Harvey and gunned down Obert at first for a double play to end the inning.
The Terriers added an insurance run in the sixth when senior first baseman Chelsea Bertoglio reached on an error by junior outfielder Alexis Bogdanovich and advanced to second on a pass ball. Sophomore Jordan Sganga pinch ran for Bertoglio and, after advancing to third on a wild pitch, scored on a single from Lane to seal up the Terriers’ 3-0 victory.
Black Bears salvage weekend set with doubleheader split
UMaine came alive offensively in the early game of their doubleheader Saturday, taking down the Terriers 8-0 in six innings.
Holte started the second game for the Terriers and was roughed up early. UMaine senior left fielder Dagmar Ralphs started a two-out rally in the bottom of the first by hitting a high fly ball to right that was lost in the sun and dropped, leaving Ralph at second base with what was ruled a double. Junior right fielder Jessica Burk singled down the right field line, scoring Ralphs, and Obert followed her up with a double to the gap in right center field that knocked Fogel and Burk in.
Obert scored on an error in center field to give UMaine an early 4-0 lead.
“One thing we have really been punching home is that in order to win you have to have fun,” Ralphs said. “If we have fun and trust ourselves, knowing that we are good ballplayers, that’s when we start to shine.”
Bogdanovich took the mound for the Black Bears and cruised through six innings of work, fanning seven and allowing just three hits to improve her record to 4-5. Holte got the loss for the Retrievers, falling to 14-7 on the season.
The Black Bears struck again in the fourth when Dagmar Ralphs knocked in freshman shortstop Felicia Lennon and junior second baseman Kristen Koslosky with a double to straightaway center, prompting a pitching change for the Terriers. Holte was relieved by freshman Nicole Casagrande, who induced a pop fly to the shortstop that was dropped, allowing Ralphs to score and giving the Black Bears a 7-0 advantage.
UMaine ended things in the bottom of the sixth due to the mercy rule. Burk started things with a double down the left field line and advanced to third on a fielder’s choice. Obert hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Burk for the winning run.
Obert had a strong game, going 2-3 at the plate with three RBI and a run scored. Dagmar Ralphs also drove in a pair of runs, scoring two herself.
The Terriers edged out the Black Bears in the rubber game 7-6 largely due to a big first inning and solid relief pitching from Holte.
UMBC got out to a strong start, loading the bases with three straight walks. Senior pitcher Hannah Hill started the game for the Black Bears but was quickly replaced by redshirt-senior Kylie Sparks, who inherited three baserunners with zero outs.
Sparks struck out Bertoglio, but Lane laced a double into right center field to score O’Neill and O’Malley. Jackson knocked in Lane with an infield single and scored on a single from Olesky to give the Terriers a 5-0 lead.
“We gave up too many walks,” Coutts said. “We gave up too many unearned runs in the beginning of the game, and it’s always hard to keep fighting when you are down by that many, but I am proud of our team today.”
The Black Bears responded quickly in the bottom of the inning.
Koslosky walked to lead things off and advanced to second thanks to a sacrifice bunt from Lennon. Dagmar Ralphs beat out a ground ball to the shortstop, putting runners on first and third. Burk cut the Terriers lead down to 5-3 with a three-run blast to right field for her third home run of the season. UMBC extended their lead to 7-3 in the fourth. O’Neill launched a two-run homer to left field, scoring Olesky with her team-leading eighth home run of the season. After O’Malley singled, Bogdanovich was brought in to pitch for the Black Bears and held the Terriers hitless through the 3.2 innings she pitched.
The Black Bears were not ready to go down without a fight and showed their resiliency as a team in the fourth and fifth innings. Fogel led off the fourth with a double over the head of the center fielder and scored on a single from Harvey.
Koslosky led off the fifth with a walk before Lennon singled and stole second to put runners at second and third. Dagmar Ralphs grounded a single through the right side to score them both and cut the lead to 7-6.
Holte once again came into the game for the Terriers, replacing Lane. The Black Bears managed to load the bases with two outs but failed to score again.
Lane was awarded the win, improving to 6-6 while Holte picked up her second save of the year. Hill was tagged with the loss to drop to 6-3.
UMaine hosts Husson University Tuesday before traveling for a doubleheader at Harvard University on Thursday. The Terriers return home for a three-game series against the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.