By Cam Hasbrouck.
The Maryland Terrapins Softball team dropped four games while salvaging a single win at the Missouri tournament this weekend, taking losses against Butler, no. 4 Oregon, Stephen F. Austin, and no. 24 Missouri. Their only win came in their final game, in which the Terps defeated no. 24 Missouri in extra innings.
Maryland kicked off the weekend with a very tight game against Butler on Friday, which the Terps dropped 3-2. After a quiet first four frames, the Terrapins jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth. Junior Skylynne Ellazar drove in a run by hitting her second triple of the season, and later scored via an Anna Kufta sacrifice fly.
Butler responded in the bottom of the sixth with three straight hits to tie the game, followed up by an RBI single by Kaitlin Doud to drive in the eventual game-winner. Maryland went down in order in the seventh to secure the loss.
Friday afternoon’s matchup with no. 4 ranked Oregon later that day was much less exciting for the Terps. The Terrapins were out-hit 18-1 en route to a 14-0 rout by the nationally-ranked Ducks.
Maryland looked to get back on track on Saturday when they took on Stephen F. Austin in their third game of the tournament. The game got off to a good start for the Terps, who scored three runs in the first two innings to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Maryland’s Madison Martin tossed six and a third innings, allowing just one run in the third inning.
The Terps took a 4-1 lead in the sixth inning off of back-to-back singles by Juli Strange and Destiney Henderson. However, the Lumberjacks rallied for four straight runs in the bottom of the seventh frame to complete a comeback 5-4 win against the Terps.
Maryland finished off its Saturday buy taking on the tournament hosts, no. 24 ranked Missouri. Terrapin Hannah Dewey held the Tigers to just one run over five innings, but Maryland couldn’t get their offense going. The Terps went on to lose 2-0 to the hosts.
Maryland was able to get revenge on Sunday, when they defeated Missouri 9-8 in extra innings to finish off the weekend on a high note. Maryland got on the board first with a run in the fifth inning, but gave up seven runs an inning later to go down 7-1. The Terrapins put up a remarkable six-run comeback in the seventh inning to force extras.
Both teams scored a run in the eighth to send the game into the ninth inning. Maryland’s Kassidy Cross, who opened the scoring with a sacrifice drive in the fifth, drove in the eventual game-winning run in the top of the seventh to give the Terrapins the lead. The Terps held Missouri scoreless in the second half of the ninth to secure their only victory of the weekend.
Maryland’s win against no. 24 Missouri on Sunday marked their second win against a ranked opponent, despite their underwhelming 3-15-1 record. The Terrapins are back in action on Friday, when they kick off the Highlander Classic tournament against UT Martin in Riverside, California.
