UMBC

NEWARK, DE -- A pair of stellar defensive plays by Melissa Basilio helped Jenn Joseph out of a bases loaded, no outs jam and Laura Streets went 3-for-4 with three RBI as Delaware split a non-conference softball doubleheader with UMBC Wednesday afternoon. Delaware won the nightcap, 6-4, after UMBC took the opener, 3-2. In the opener, UMBC jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth on Alexis Viera’s two-out, two-run triple. The hit came after Viera had popped in foul territory and Delaware could not come up with it. The Blue Hens tied the bottom of the fourth. Melissa Basilio cut the deficit in half with a line-drive home run over the 10-foot wall in left field. Jenn Joseph, who took the loss in the first game, helped her own cause with an RBI single to tie the game. However, Bonnie Nevin broke the tie in the top of the sixth with an RBI single down the left field line that scored Jessica Graziano. In the opener, Angie Amedro fired 2-2/3 innings of relief to pick up the win, allowing just one hit and one walk. The win was her 16th of the season and set a new school mark for wins in a season by a pitcher. In the nightcap, Delaware (17-23) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third, chasing Amedro. Streets sparked the rally with an RBI double to score the game’s first run. After UMBC cut the lead in half with two runs in the top of the fourth, Streets got one back with her second RBI double in as many innings to make it 5-2. The Retrievers (41-18) again responded with a single-run in the top of the fifth and threatened to pull closer in the top of the sixth. Joseph, in relief of starter Becky Rogers, was welcomed with three striaght singles to load the bases. However, Kristie Pickeral’s bullet to third was parlayed into a 5-2-3 double play by Basilio for the first two outs of the inning. Basilio then gloved a one-hopper to her left off the bat of Graziano and threw her out to end the threat. Delaware got an insurance run on a Streets RBI ground out in the sixth to give Joseph a three-run cushion. The Retrievers got one back in the bottom of the seventh before Joseph got Abbie Kahn to ground out to Streets for the final out. Delaware will travel to Towson for a key Colonial Athletic Association series this weekend. The three-game set gets underway Saturday at 12 noon with a doubleheader.