PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team got two wins over the Saint Peter's University Peacocks on Wednesday (March 4) afternoon during a doubleheader at home. The Hawks (3-13) won game one 11-3 and game two 7-6.
"We showed a lot of fight and determination after a rough weekend," Hawks coach Karla Powell said. "I was happy because they played all eight innings hard in the second game and were able to run rule them in game one."
In the first inning of game one, Eastern Shore had 15 batters come to the plate and scored nine runs. They forced the Peacocks to switch pitchers before the first out was recorded.
The Shore added another run in the second inning as sophomore Alona Robillard (Lake Wales, Florida) hit a solo homerun to give the squad a 10-2 lead. Eastern Shore ended game one in the fifth inning when sophomore Kaylyn Sterling (Half Moon Bay, California) hit a RBI groundout that brought Robillard in to score.
Every player that started in game one scored at least one run. Robillard went 2-2 with two RBIs, a walk and two runs scored. Junior Jordan Robinson (Gaithersburg, Maryland) went 2-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Senior LeAnn Gingrich (Landisburg, Pennsylvania) pitched a complete game in the contest.
The second game was a closer affair. The Hawks opened the scoring when Sterling stole third base and advanced home on a throwing error from SPU.
The team would hold a 1-0 lead until Saint Peter's grabbed two runs in the third. Sophomore Anissa Derifield (Woodbridge, Virginia) reached base on an infield single and Robinson scored on the play to tie the game at two.
Neither team would score again until the sixth inning. The Peacocks committed two errors in the bottom of the inning and set the stage for a two-out RBI double from Allison Gingrich (Landisburg, Pennsylvania) that brought Robillard and junior Nasya Goodman (Willingboro, New Jersey) in to score and give the Hawks a 4-2 lead.
SPU answered in the seventh with four runs in the top of the inning to take a 6-4 lead. Maryland Eastern Shore would rally in the bottom of the frame. They had two walks to start the inning and Robinson would lay down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners into scoring position.
Two batters later, Derifield hit a single up the middle to bring Sterling and Rachel Gingrich (Landisburg, Pennsylvania) across home plate to tie the game at six. The game would head to extra innings after that.
Due to overtime rules, a runner was placed on second to begin the frame. Saint Peter's did not score in the top of the eight. In the bottom of the inning, Goodman began on second base. Allison Gingrich would hit a single up the middle and Goodman would come around and slide into home safe and give the squad the win.
Derifield went 3-4 with three RBIs in the game. Allison Gingrich came in during the fourth inning and finished 2-3 with three RBIs including the game-winner.
Maryland Eastern Shore will now travel to Morgan State this weekend (March 7-8) for a tournament against the Bears and Manhattan.
"We have to keep riding this momentum this weekend," Powell said. "I saw a lot of great things today and we have to keep making the routine plays, if we do we will be ready for a great weekend."