SALISBURY, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team shocked the visiting Bears of Morgan State on Saturday, taking both games of the day's doubleheader by scores of 8-7 and 3-2.
The first contest took nine innings, lasting three hours and two minutes before the Hawks earned the walk off win. The victory was the first for UMES over Morgan State since 2019.
The Hawks got the job done in seven in game two, but only just, plating the winner in the bottom of the seventh.
With the wins, UMES moved to 12-19 overall on the season and closed the gap with Norfolk State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings. The Hawks and Spartans are each 8-4 in conference play after Norfolk was rained out of their Saturday contests.
Morgan State fell to 20-17 on the season and 10-3 in league action after the Saturday sweep.
"Everyone contributed to the big wins today," Hawks coach Karla Ross said. "We preach day in and day out, one pitch at a time and we did exactly that today."
Game One: UMES 8, MSU 7 (9 Innings)
The visitors put together an early advantage in game one, leading 5-1 through three innings with the bats. The lone Hawk run came in the first, with Jaycee Holt scampering home on an error.
UMES began their comeback effort in earnest in the third. Holt began the inning with a single and advanced on an error, followed by a Nola Mountain single that put runners on the corners with nobody out.
Kelsie Ekstrom came through, scorching a single to left that plated Holt. Ameenah Ballenger followed suit, collecting an RBI-single of her own to make the score 5-3.
From the fourth inning on, Ballenger twirled a gem in the circle. She surrendered just two runs over the next six innings and picked up seven of her 10 punchouts in that span as well.
"Ameenah went the distance in game one, pitching her heart out," Ross said. "She was hitting all day as well."
The offenses went quiet until the sixth, when Katelyn Smitchko began her quest to become Saturday's hero. With one away, the freshman smacked her first collegiate home run to dead center, bringing the score within one.
Morea Hodge followed Smitchko with a single to center and promptly stole second base. She moved up to third on a groundout and scored on an RBI-single from Holt through the right side to tie the game at 5-5.
The Bears got one back in the seventh, but the Hawk bats were ready with a response. Ballenger reached second on a double to open the bottom half and McKenzie Abiley picked up a single to put runners on the corners.
Smitchko stepped in and singled to right, scoring Ballenger and tying the contest once again. The Hawks got the bases loaded, but the Bears escaped the jam to force extra innings.
Morgan got their seventh run in the eighth, but the Hawks again found an answer. Holt was placed at second and advanced on a groundout before Ekstrom scored her to tie the contest once more.
The final nail came in the ninth. With Abiley placed on second, Smitchko laced a triple to right center to score her and put a bow on the contest.
Smitchko picked up three hits in the day's first contest, including a home run and the game-winning triple. She also drove in three runs and scored in the victory.
"Katelyn has been very effective for us toward the bottom of the lineup," Ross said. "She was a hitting machine in game one."
The Hawks were a hitting machine in their own right, scoring eight runs on 16 hits with one miscue in the win. The Bears finished with seven runs on five hits with a pair of errors.
Along with Smitchko, Holt and Hodge recorded three-hit days. The former also picked up an RBI and scored three runs.
Mountain, Ekstrom and Ballenger each had two hits in game one. Ekstrom drove in two, while Ballenger walked twice, scored once and drove in a run.
Ballenger (7-9) picked up the complete game W, striking out double-digit Bears across nine innings. The junior faced 41 batters in the victory.
Morgan's Emily Raubach was handed the loss, allowing the winning run while recording just two outs in relief in extra innings.
Game Two: UMES 3, MSU 2
UMES provided more late game drama in Saturday's second game.
Smitchko was in the midst of a masterful outing through five, allowing just two runs (one earned). Trailing 2-0, the Hawk bats came to life in the final two innings.
Ballenger and Merriwether collected base hits to begin the bottom of the sixth. Abiley laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over and Smitchko again produced in the clutch, slapping a single to score Ballenger.
One batter later, Kiyaira Hicks laced a double down the left field line to plate Merriwether. Heading into the seventh, the game was knotted at 2-2.
Smitchko threw a zero on the board in the top of the seventh, setting the table for the second Hawk walk off of the afternoon. Ekstrom doubled with one away and the Bears decided to intentionally walk Ballenger to pitch to Merriwether.
Merriwether did not take kindly to that gesture, knocking a double to right center to plate Ekstrom and complete the Saturday sweep.
"I knew when they intentionally walked [Ballenger] for Ryan that she would come in clutch," Ross said. "She has been hitting great as of late and we all knew she wanted that hit after struggling in game one."
Merriwether finished with three hits in game two, scoring a run and driving in the winner. Ekstrom and Hicks each had two-hit efforts, the former scoring a run and the latter driving one in.
Holt, Ballenger, Abiley and Smitchko also added hits in game two.
The Hawks put up three runs and another 11 hits in game two, while Morgan State finished with two runs on three hits. Each team committed an error in the day's second game.
Smitchko earned the complete game win, allowing just one earned run and three hits across seven innings of work with a pair of punchouts.
"[Katelyn] came out in game two and did exactly what she needed for us to stay in the game and pull it off," Ross said.
Morgan's Victoria Fletcher was tagged with the loss, allowing all three Hawk runs in 6.1 innings in the circle.
The Hawks go for the series sweep on Sunday, April 16 at the Henry S. Parker Complex in Salisbury, Maryland. First pitch of the series finale is scheduled for noon.