UMBC

Melanie Denischuk was 2-for-4 with a three-run home run to lead the Retrievers to a 9-5 win over George Mason.

Fairfax, Va.-Behind three home runs, the UMBC softball team defeated George Mason, 9-5, Tuesday afternoon at George Mason Field. The Retrievers won their third straight and improve to 4-3 overall, while the Patriots fall to 0-9 on the season.

Sophomore Kali Shirk was hit by a pitch to start the game, and sophomore Stevie Shore followed with her second home run of the season. Sophomore Dana Shepherd tripled and later scored on an error to give the Retrievers an early 3-0 lead.

But George Mason tied it up right away as freshman Krista Kearns walked the first five batters she faced before striking out the next two. With two outs and the bases still loaded, Kearns hit the eighth batter to force in the third run of the inning, but escaped on a ground out by the next hitter.

UMBC regained the lead in the top of the second as senior Jessica Griffith reached on a fielder’s choice with one out and scored on a two-out single by Shirk. The Retrievers added to their lead in the top of the third when junior Melanie Denischuk crushed a mammoth one-out three-run home run to score Shepherd and junior Reilly Ward and make the score 7-3. The home run was Denischuk’s second of the season and UMBC’s second of the game.

The Patriots would add one in the bottom of the inning on a leadoff double and a two-out single, and the score remained 7-4 until the top of the fifth, when senior Ashlea Underwood hit the first home run of her collegiate career. In the top of the sixth, sophomore Carla O’Rourke doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Shore to put the Retrievers up, 9-4.

George Mason came back to score its final run in the bottom of the sixth on two consecutive hits off senior Lauren Nicholson, who relieved Kearns in the fourth inning.

For the game, Shepherd was 2-for-2 with two runs scored, while Denischuk was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Shore also drove in three runs.

Kearns and Nicholson combined for the win, with Kearns pitching three innings and giving up four runs on four hits, five walks and four strikeouts and Nicholson going the final four innings and giving up one run on five hits and striking out one.

The Retrievers have been aided by the power game early on this season, as they have already hit nine home runs in seven games. They host their first home games this weekend in the Second Annual UMBC Kickoff Classic, March 3-5 at UMBC Softball Stadium.