Maryland softball thought they knew exactly what Delaware had up its sleeve. With runners on first and third, a double steal in a 0-0 sixth inning was an easy play to spot.
They knew it was coming, and they played it well. But it didn’t matter.
By the time second baseman Caroline Fox caught the ball from catcher Zayda Rocke, ready to throw it back home, Delaware’s Ryleigh Thomas was already crossing home plate.
That run would be the game-winner as Delaware handed Maryland a 2-0 loss to win the season series.
After a consistent defensive game, Maryland collapsed in the sixth inning. The double steal was the start, but the Terps gave up another run after poorly fielding a ground ball, doubling the deficit.
Head coach Lauren Karn said Maryland seemed to miss the runner on third breaking for home as they tried to get the out at second.
“If we can play a little bit better defense there at the end, we’re still playing the ball game,” Karn said.
Both teams were playing their best ball coming into Tuesday. Maryland was in its best stretch of games since late February, and Delaware was on a 10-game win streak. In that stretch, Delaware’s ERA was 2.30, and its batting average was .293.
Delaware beat Maryland in the Mizuno Classic on Feb. 20, but Maryland evened the season series in their second matchup on March 10.
What should have been a dominant showing from Delaware remained a stalemate for most of the game. Maryland’s defense came up clutch when it needed to, keeping the game tied until the sixth.
Maryland’s offense looked pitiful in the midweek matchup. After scoring eight runs in their last game, the Terps failed to score against pitcher Claire Woods, who had pitched one inning against them in the March 10 meeting. In that game, Karn’s squad had two hits and one run on Woods.
Maryland struck out seven times and only had four hits in 24 at-bats (.167).
“We couldn’t hit the changeup tonight,” Karn said. “That’s what those pitches were … So we tried to adjust to sit on it, and that really didn’t work for us either.”
Woods owned the Terps in her second time facing them. Although she entered Delaware’s third game against the Terps with a season ERA of 5.25, she had done well lately, posting a 1.70 ERA over her last five appearances.
Woods focused her pitches inside on Maryland batters, which contributed to her 65.7% strike percentage. Illinois, which Maryland defeated twice over the weekend, had repeated issues pitching outside, giving up regular contact against the Terps.
“We need to do a better job at sticking to our game plan earlier, and then adjusting and finding a way to get our timing down, to really sit the pitch and not jump to it and try to get it before it gets to us,” Karn said.
Freshman Elisea Wiegand made the start and was removed after one inning, leaving the rest of the game to Keira Bucher. The senior pitched five innings on Tuesday, allowing five hits and three walks on two earned runs.
Neither Wiegand nor Bucher faced Delaware in the earlier two matchups. In this game, their strength seemed to kick in after runners reached second base. Delaware went 2-11 against the Maryland pitchers with runners in scoring position.
“[Bucher] did a really nice job mixing the changeup, keeping the ball down in the zone, not allowing them to lift anything for big hits,” Karn said.
Despite the recent success, Tuesday’s loss is a reminder of Maryland’s brutal season. The Terps are now 2-7 in their nine series this season.
Maryland closes out its dreadful season in a final series against Michigan State this weekend.
