UMBC

Amanda Fefel is batting .391 in the first eight games this season.

BALTIMORE—The UMBC softball team (2-6) hosts George Washington (2-5) in its home opener Tuesday afternoon. The doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at UMBC Softball Stadium. UMBC Senior Associate Athletic Director Gary Wohlstetter will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Follow the action from your computer with LiveStats.

Last Time Out: The Retrievers split a pair of games at the George Washington Colonial Classic Sunday afternoon, falling to Canisius, 5-2, before defeating the host Colonials, 9-4, in a darkness-shortened five-inning affair. A five-run third inning was all Canisius needed to take control of the first game. Senior Ashley Gray (Pasadena, Md./Northeast/Delaware State) suffered her fourth loss of the season, but freshman Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) and junior Krista Kearns (Santa Fe Springs, Calif./Santa Fe) were effective in relief, combining to pitch four no-hit innings. UMBC’s bats finally came to life against George Washington, raking up a season-high 14 hits, and the Retrievers held a 7-0 lead after just two innings. Senior catcher Kali Shirk (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) and sophomore pitcher Amanda Fefel (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) each had three hits, while Shepherd slugged the Retrievers’ first home run of the season, a three-run shot, and finished with four RBI. In addition, sophomore third baseman Emily Thompson (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) went 2-for-2 with two doubles and two RBI. Fefel (1-0) went the distance for the Retrievers to pick up her first win of the season. Pardo (1-1) suffered the loss for GW, as she allowed seven runs (six earned) on eight hits in just 1.1 innings of work. Higdon gave up two runs on six hits while striking out four in the final 3.2 frames.

On the Colonials: George Washington is 2-5 after suffering a pair of losses at the Colonial Classic over the weekend. Sophomore Amanda Gabriel struck out 10 Canisius batters but suffered the 3-1 loss. Outfielder Chrysanthi Halkiotis hit a grand slam to account for all four of GW’s runs against UMBC. Outfielder Jackie Yaniga and third baseman Katie Terrazas lead the Colonials with identical .450 batting averages, while Halkiotis is slugging a team-best .714. Catcher Elisa Van Kirk’s eight RBI lead the team, as well. The Colonials are hitting .351 as a team and boast seven players who are batting .300 or better. Gabriel has pitched the majority of George Washington’s innings and has posted a 3.23 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 21.2 innings of work, holding batters to a .232 average.

UMBC vs. George Washington All-Time: After Sunday’s victory at the Colonial Classic, the Retrievers are 2-1 all-time against George Washington in a young series that dates to 2007.

Softball Picked Third in Preseason Poll: The UMBC softball team was predicted to finish third in the America East Preseason Coaches’ Poll.  The Retrievers received one first place vote and 35 overall points in a vote of the league’s head coaches. Boston University, the 2007 regular-season champion, is the preseason favorite, as the Terriers received 47 points, including five first-place votes. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.

Milestone Watch: Senior shortstop Dana Shepherd is on the verge of becoming just the sixth player in UMBC history to record 200 career hits. She currently has 195 after knocking three hits at the George Washington Colonial Classic. She also became just the eighth Retriever ever with 300 total bases with her home run against the GW on March 2, and she now has 302 total bases in her career.

Dawg Bites: Sophomore third baseman Emily Thompson leads the Retrievers with a .400 batting average, five doubles and five RBI, while sophomore first baseman Amanda Fefel is right behind, hitting at a .391 clip… Fefel has also posted a team-best 3.06 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 16 innings.