UMBC

Amanda Fefel went 4-for-4 with four RBI in two games on the final day of the Spartan Classic.

SPARTANBURG, S.C.—The UMBC softball team (1-4) finally got the offensive surge it had been waiting on all weekend, defeating the College of Charleston (4-9) by a score of 17-1 in the consolation game of the Campus Suites Spartan Classic at Cyrill Stadium on the campus of South Carolina-Upstate. Earlier in the day, the Retrievers dropped an 8-2 decision to Presbyterian (3-6).

Game 1: Presbyterian 8, UMBC 2

The Retrievers got on the board first on an RBI single by junior designated player Amanda Fefel (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) that plated sophomore first baseman Malorie Weller (Round Hill, Va./Loudoun Valley/Kennesaw State) in the bottom of the first inning, but the Blue Hose tied it in the fourth on a walk, a double and an RBI fielder’s choice.

Presbyterian turned the pitcher’s duel into a rout with a seven-run fifth, but the Retrievers did not help their own cause, as they committed three errors in the inning, accounting for four unearned runs. All four of the Blue Hose’s hits in the frame went for extra bases, including three doubles and a leadoff triple.

UMBC sophomore second baseman Lauren Brummell (Hanover, Va./Hanover) led off the bottom of the seventh with a double and came around to score on a two-out single to left-center by senior reliever Krista Kearns (Santa Fe Springs, Calif./Santa Fe).

Blue Hose starter Leslie Hensley (3-2) picked up the victory, allowing one run on three hits while striking out four in five innings. UMBC sophomore hurler Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) fell to 0-3 on the season after giving up six runs (four earned) on five hits while striking out six in four innings. Kearns pitched the final three innings in relief and allowed two unearned runs on three hits and struck out three.

Brummell led the Retrievers at the plate with a 2-for-3 effort, while Presbyterian right fielder Lindsey Trombley went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI and a run scored.

Game 2: UMBC 17, College of Charleston 1

Fefel and Weller each hit two-run homers in the first two innings gave UMBC an early 4-0 lead before the Retrievers’ bats exploded for nine runs in the third.

Junior catcher Amanda Page (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia/Monroe CC) and sophomore pinch hitter Lauren O’Malley (Pasadena, Md./Archbishop Spalding) each delivered two-run singles, while Weller and Fefel also had RBIs in the inning. The Retrievers got five hits but also benefitted from three Cougar errors, as they sent 13 batters to the plate.

UMBC added four more in the fifth on a two-run triple by sophomore center fielder Julia Culotta (Street, Md./North Harford/Tennessee) and a two-run homer by Brummell.

The Cougars’ only run of the game came on an RBI single by third baseman Kelley Dillon in the second inning.

Weigman (1-3) went the distance to pick up her first victory of the season. She allowed one run on five hits while striking out seven in five innings. Charleston starter Shannon Howard (2-4), who shut the Retrievers down twice on Saturday, suffered the loss after giving up six runs on five hits in two innings. Three Cougar relievers combined to allow the remaining 11 runs, only four of which were earned.

UMBC pounded out 13 hits in the game, led by Fefel (3-3, 3 RBI) and Weller (3-3, 2 RBI, 3 R).

Fefel and Weller were both named to the All-Tournament Team. Fefel batted a team-best .500 (5-for-10) with one home run and five RBI in the five games, while Weller hit .400 (6-for-15) and slugged .837 with a pair of homers, five RBI and five runs scored.

The Retrievers return to action on Tuesday, Feb. 24, when they head down I-95 to take on George Washington in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.