UMBC

Melanie Denischuk went 6-for-8 with five RBI in two games on the first day of the Bash at the Beach.

Georgetown, Del.-The UMBC softball team won two wild games on the first day of pool play at the Delaware State Bash at the Beach, defeating Niagara, 10-9, and St. Francis (Pa.), 12-9, Friday. The Retrievers improve to 18-5 on the season and have won 17 of their last 19 games.

UMBC struck first against Niagara, as sophomore Kali Shirk (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) was hit by a pitch, stole second and third and scored on a wild pitch. In the next inning, junior Reilly Ward (Olney, Md./Sherwood) hit a two-out RBI double to drive in Shirk for the 2-0 lead.

Retriever starter Brittany Boyd (Baltimore, Md./North County/East Carolina) sailed through the first two innings but hit some trouble in the third, allowing two runs on a two-out double which tied the game at 2-2. Boyd allowed two more in the fourth to give Niagara the 4-2 lead, and she ran into more trouble in the fifth before freshman Krista Kearns (Santa Fe Springs, Calif./Santa Fe) relieved her. With the bases loaded and one out, Kearns got a groundout and a strikeout to get out of the inning without any damage.

The Retrievers tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth on a double by Ward and RBI singles by junior Melanie Denischuk (Poway, Calif./Hugh Sutherland (Carstairs, Alberta)/Indian River CC/Auburn) and senior Ashlea Underwood (Visalia, Calif./Central Valley Christian/Reedley JC).

Kearns ran into trouble in the top of the sixth, as she walked the first two batters and allowed three one-out singles for three runs before junior Jessica Taylor (Baltimore, Md./Mount de Sales) relieved her and allowed two inherited runners to score. The Purple Eagles plated five in the inning for the 9-4 lead, and the Retrievers went down in order in the bottom of the frame.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the seventh, the Niagara batter flied out to deep center field to end the inning, missing a grand slam by just feet.

Down by five with three outs to go, Ward walked and Denischuk doubled to lead off the inning and put runners and second and third. Sophomore Stevie Shore (New Carlisle, Pa./Northwestern) singled to right to plate both runners and scored on a single by sophomore Dana Shepherd (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills). With one out, Underwood walked, and the runners moved up on a groundout by junior Heather Bennett (Ellicott City, Md./Mt. Hebron).

Down by two at 9-7 with runners on second and third and two outs, junior Krissy Licursi (Sussex, N.J./Vernon Township/Sussex CC) doubled to tie the game. Freshman Courtney O’Hara (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame) pinch ran for Licursi and scored on a two-strike game-winning single by Shirk for the 10-9 victory.

In a very sloppy game in the field in which the Retrievers made three errors, only four of Niagara’s nine runs were earned. Taylor picked up the win, her first of the season, giving up no runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two in 1.2 innings of work. Boyd pitched the first 4.1 innings, allowing four runs, none of which were earned, on six hits and a walk while striking out two. Kearns allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits, two walks and one strikeout in one inning.

At the plate, Ward was 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs scored and two RBI, while Denischuk was 2-for-3 with a double and Shore was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

The second game of the day was a rematch of the UMBC Dawg Pound Tournament championship game, when the Retrievers defeated St. Francis (Pa.), 5-4. Friday’s game saw much more offense than last weekend’s title game.

UMBC again struck first, as Shirk reached on an error, Denischuk singled and Shore hit a sacrifice fly to plate Shirk for the early 1-0 advantage. But Retriever starter Amy Sadowl (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro Horsham) allowed three runs on four hits and an error in the bottom of the first inning, then three more in the second, as St. Francis took a 6-1 lead after two and knocked Sadowl out of the game.

The Retrievers went down in order in the top of the third, but Boyd, who relieved Sadowl to start the inning, threw a scoreless frame as well.

The UMBC offense exploded for eight runs in the top of the fourth, as the Retrievers batted around. Denischuk and Shore led off with singles. With one out, Denischuk was out at the plate on a fielder’s choice by senior Jessica Griffith (Linthicum, Md./Glen Burnie/Anne Arundel CC).

Underwood hit an infield single to load the bases with two outs, and Licursi again came through in the clutch, hitting a two-run single and sophomore Carla O’Rourke (Endicott, N.Y./Union Endicott) doubled for an RBI to bring the Retrievers to within two at 6-4. Shirk then walked to load the bases, and Ward cleared them with a three-run double for the 7-6 advantage before Denischuk hit a two-run home run, her seventh of the year, to put UMBC up, 9-6.

The Red Flash managed a single run off Boyd in the bottom of the fourth, and the Retrievers loaded the bases in the top of the fifth but couldn’t score. St. Francis tied the game in the bottom of the inning.

In the top of the sixth, Denischuk doubled with one out and Shepherd hit a two-out double off the fence to put UMBC up 10-9. The Red Flash went down in order in the bottom of the sixth, and the Retrievers added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh, as Shirk and Ward singled with two outs and scored when Denischuk’s hit to the gap went off the center fielder’s glove.

The Red Flash threatened in the bottom of the seventh with two one-out singles, but Boyd induced two pop-ups to end the game and preserve UMBC’s 12-9 victory.

Boyd got the win to improve to 4-0 on the season, as she allowed three runs on six hits, six walks and one strikeout in five innings of work. Sadowl pitched the first two innings, giving up six runs on seven hits and three walks.

At the plate, Denischuk was 4-for-5 with a double, a home run and five RBI. Ward went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI, while Shirk was 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored and Shepherd was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

“We showed a lot of heart in coming back in both games today,” head coach Joe French said. “We did a nice job working the pitch count, getting clutch hits and battling back.”

Denischuk was 6-for-8 with five RBI in the two games on the day, while Ward was 4-for-7 with four runs scored, five RBI and three doubles. Shirk was 3-for-8 and Shore was 4-for-8.

The Retrievers take on St. Joseph’s at 1 p.m. Saturday. The game time of the final game of pool play against Drexel will be announced Saturday afternoon.