UMBC

Stevie Shore's grand slam in game two powered the Retrievers to a 10-1 victory.

Vestal, N.Y.-The UMBC softball team (35-11, 5-3 AEC) swept a doubleheader from America East foe Binghamton (5-23, 1-7 AEC) Wednesday afternoon at East Gym Complex, winning the first game, 7-3, before scoring seven in the first inning of game two for a 10-1 five-inning victory.

Junior Melanie Denischuk (Poway, Calif./Hugh Sutherland (Carstairs, Alberta)/Indian River CC/Auburn) gave the Retrievers an early 1-0 lead with a two-out solo home run in the top of the first inning of game one, but Binghamton catcher Christine Quijano tied it in the second with a solo shot of her own.

Senior Jessica Griffith (Linthicum, Md./Glen Burnie/Anne Arundel CC) hit a one-out home run in the Retrievers’ two-run fourth, and Denischuk connected for her second long ball of the game and her NCAA-best 21st of the season in the sixth with freshman Courtney O’Hara (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame) aboard for a 5-2 lead.

O’Hara added a two-out two-run double in the top of the seventh to put UMBC ahead, 7-2, and the Bearcats added one in the bottom of the inning for the 7-3 final.

UMBC starter Lauren Nicholson (Audubon, N.J./Paul VI­) pitched the complete game to pick up the win, improving to 14-1 on the season. She allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits and one walk while striking out four in seven innings.

Katie Hansen (2-12) suffered the loss for Binghamton after allowing seven runs (four earned) on 13 hits and six walks while striking out five in the seven-inning complete game.

Sophomore Stevie Shore (New Carlisle, Ohio/Northwestern) hit a two-out grand slam in the top of the first of game two, highlighting the Retrievers’ seven-run inning. UMBC manufactured three more runs in the fourth, and Binghamton could only manage one unearned run off Retriever starter Krista Kearns (Santa Fe Springs, Calif./Santa Fe), who picked up her 10th win of the season with UMBC’s 10-1 five-inning victory.

Kearns (10-4) gave up four hits and one walk and struck out two in a complete game. Jessica Whitaker suffered the loss for Binghamton, as she allowed seven runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks in one inning of work. Meghan Quinn pitched the final four innings for the Bearcats and allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk while striking out three.

Denischuk went 3-for-4 in the game to extend her hit streak to 14, while junior Dana Shepherd (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills) saw her 20-game streak come to an end  with an 0-for-2 contest, though she scored two runs. Shore drove in five runs in the second game, while freshman Michelle Olivieri (Brockport, N.Y./The Aquinas Institute) was 2-for-3 with two doubles.

The Retrievers return to action this weekend as they host America East rival Boston University for a three-game series. The teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. on Friday and a single game at 11 a.m. Saturday at UMBC Softball Stadium.