UMBC

Joe French became UMBC's all-time winningest softball coach with two wins on Saturday.

Baltimore, Md.-The UMBC softball team won two more games Saturday on the second day of the UMBC Dawg Pound Tournament to earn the top seed heading into Sunday’s championship bracket play. The Retrievers are 4-0 on the weekend after defeating Vermont, 2-0, and Maryland-Eastern Shore, 9-0, in five innings. The Retrievers improve to 13-4 on the season and have won four in a row and 12 of their last 13 games.

With the win over UMES, head coach Joe French became UMBC’s all-time winningest softball coach with 153 career victories, surpassing Joy Figueroa’s 152.

Freshman Krista Kearns pitched another gem for the Retrievers in the first game, limiting Vermont to just two hits. She took a no-hitter into the sixth before allowing a one-out single to second baseman Casey Fleming.

Kearns earned the complete game shutout victory to improve to 3-1 on the season, allowing three walks while striking out eight.

Kearns helped her own cause by singling to lead off the third inning. Courtney O’Hara pinch ran, stole second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored two batters later when catcher Stevie Shore reached on an error to give UMBC a 1-0 lead.

The Retrievers tacked on another run in the fifth when center fielder Kali Shirk singled, stole second and third base and scored on a single by third baseman Reilly Ward. The steals give her a career-high 18 on the season and a UMBC-record 35 consecutive to start her career.

After a pitching change for the Catamounts, the Retrievers loaded the bases but could not capitalize, leaving the bases full for the second straight inning.

But the two runs would be all the Retrievers needed, as Kearns escaped damage in the top of the sixth after loading the bases. The Catamounts went quietly in the seventh at UMBC won the game, 2-0.

Sara Burke suffered the loss for Vermont, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks in 4.1 innings of work. Alison Daggett and Aimee Kern pitched the remaining 1.2 innings.

Kearns went 2-for-3 in the game, while Ward and Shore each picked up an RBI.

The brilliant pitching continued for the Retrievers in the second game, as junior Brittany Boyd retired the first nine batters she faced and allowed only two hits in five innings, walking one and striking out 10. Boyd improves to 3-0 with the complete game shutout.

UMBC scored in each inning, plating two in the first, four in the second, one in the third and two in the fourth.

Shirk reached on an error to lead off the game and scored two batters later on a single to left field by first baseman Melanie Denischuk. Ward then singled home Shore, who had reached on a fielder’s choice.

Second baseman Ashlea Underwood smashed her second career home run to lead off the second inning. A batter later, Shirk again reached on an error to drive in right fielder Michelle Olivieri, who had also reached on an error. Two batters later, Denischuk singled Shirk home. Pinch running for Denischuk, O’Hara stole second base and scored when shortstop Dana Shepherd reached on an error.

In the third, Underwood hit a two-out single, and pinch runner Carla O’Rourke scored on Olivieri’s single.

Pinch hitters Jessica Taylor and Amy Sadowl each singled to lead off the fourth inning. Taylor scored on O’Hara’s suicide squeeze, and Sadowl crossed the plate when Boyd reached on a two-out error.

Christina Mason suffered the loss for UMES, allowing nine runs, only five earned, on nine hits and one walk while striking out one. Denischuk and Underwood were each 2-for-2 in the game, and Denischuk drove in two runs.

Denischuk is 6-for-10 (.600) with eight RBI in the Dawg Pound Tournament, while Shirk is 5-for-14 (.357) with six runs scored and three stolen bases over the last two days.

In other UMBC Dawg Pound Tournament action, Vermont defeated Howard, 5-4, in eight innings; Howard defeated UMES, 11-0, in five innings; and St. Francis (Pa.) defeated Vermont, 3-2, in nine innings.

The Retrievers are the top seed heading into Sunday’s championship bracket play with a 4-0 record on the weekend. No. 4 Howard (1-3) and No. 5 UMES (0-4) will face off at 9 a.m., and No. 2 St. Francis (3-1) will take on No. 3 Vermont (2-2) at 11 a.m. UMBC will face the winner of the Howard/UMES game at 1 p.m., with the winner of that game taking on the winner of the St. Francis/Vermont game at 3 p.m. for the Dawg Pound Tournament championship.

Second Annual UMBC Dawg Pound Tournament

Friday, March 10, 2006 – Pool Play
St. Francis (Pa.) 11, UMES 0 (5 innings)
St. Francis (Pa.) 17, Howard 6 (5 innings)
Vermont 7, UMES 0
UMBC 6, St. Francis (Pa.) 0
UMBC 9, Howard 5

Saturday, March 11, 2006 – Pool Play
Vermont 5, Howard 4 (8 innings)
Howard 11, UMES 0 (5 innings)
St. Francis 3, Vermont 2 (9 innings)
UMBC 2, Vermont 0
UMBC 9, UMES 0 (5 innings)

Sunday, March 12, 2006 – Bracket Play
9:00 a.m. No. 4 Howard vs. No. 5 UMES
11:00 a.m. No. 2 St. Francis vs. No. 3 Vermont
1:00 p.m. No. 1 UMBC vs. No. 4/5 Winner
3:00 p.m. Championship Game