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News Release

Softball to Host Seventh Annual UMBC Spring Classic this Weekend

3/19/2009

Lauren Brummell leads the Retrievers with nine doubles this season.

BALTIMORE—The UMBC softball team (13-8) will host the Seventh Annual UMBC Spring Classic this weekend. Binghamton (2-6), Niagara (9-7), Robert Morris (7-9), Siena (1-5) and St. Francis (10-12) will also compete. Full schedule follows below:

Friday, March 20

8 a.m. Siena vs. Robert Morris

9:55 a.m. Niagara vs. Robert Morris

11:50 a.m. UMBC vs. Siena

1:45 p.m. UMBC vs. St. Francis

3:40 p.m. Niagara vs. St. Francis

Saturday, March 21

8 a.m. Binghamton vs. St. Francis

9:55 a.m. Binghamton vs. Siena

11:50 a.m. UMBC vs. Robert Morris

1:45 p.m. UMBC vs. Niagara

3:40 p.m. Siena vs. St. Francis

Sunday, March 22

8 a.m. Niagara vs. Siena

9:55 a.m. Niagara vs. Binghamton

11:50 a.m. UMBC vs. Binghamton

1:45 p.m. Robert Morris vs. St. Francis

3:40 p.m. Robert Morris vs. Binghamton

Crazy Eight: The Retrievers have won eight straight games, their most consecutive victories since a 10-game streak from April 3-14, 2007… UMBC is hitting .365 as a team during the stretch… Junior first baseman/pitcher Amanda Fefel (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) is also riding an eight-game hitting streak, during which time she is batting .480 (12-for-25) with four doubles and eight RBI… Sophomore first baseman/outfielder Malorie Weller (.464, 5 doubles, 9 RBI), sophomore second baseman Lauren Brummell (.444, 6 doubles, 2 triples), junior catcher Amanda Page (.409, 3 doubles, 7 RBI) and sophomore center fielder Julia Culotta (.360, 7 RBI) are all hitting lights out during the winning streak.

Weigman’s Whiffs: Sophomore hurler Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) has struck out 99 batters this season, already the eighth-best single-season total in UMBC history and the second-best ever among Retriever sophomores. Weigman struck out a career-high 12 batters against Marist on March 6, and followed that up with 11 whiffs against Seton Hall the next day. Last season, Weigman struck out a UMBC freshman-record 141 batters on the season, and she now has 240 in her career, ranking third all-time in school history.

UMBC Career Strikeouts

1. Crystal Ray, 422, 1998-2000
2. Lauren Nicholson, 387, 2003-06
3. Stephanie Weigman, 240, 2008-Present
4. Ashley Gray, 229, 2007-08

It Takes Two: The Retrievers have clubbed 35 doubles on the season, led by Brummell (9) and Weller (8). Brummell’s nine two-baggers are tied for the ninth-most ever in a season by a Retriever sophomore.

Hot Hitting: UMBC is hitting .311 as a team this season, and all seven players with at least 40 at-bats are hitting better than .300. Weller (.460) and Fefel (.433) lead the Retrievers in batting average.

No-No So Close: Fefel took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against Mount St. Mary’s on Tuesday before allowing a two-out single. It was the only hit Fefel allowed in the game, a brilliant shutout in which she struck out five and faced just four batters over the minimum.

Fefel and Weigman Honored: The America East honored Fefel and Weigman with the conference’s Player and Pitcher of the Week awards, respectively. Fefel batted .588 with five extra-base hits, six RBI and six runs scored in six games, while Weigman went 3-0 and allowed just five runs in 23 innings of work for a 1.52 ERA. She pitched three complete games and struck out 26 batters while walking just six.

On the Bearcats: Binghamton is 2-6 on the season after dropping four games at the Norfolk State Spartan Clash… Outfielder Sandy Meadows leads the Bearcats in most offensive categories, including batting average (.520), runs (5), hits (13), on-base percentage (.556) and total bases (16)… The Bearcats have been outscored, 55-17, on the season… Kristen Emerling has posted a team-best 5.19 ERA, while Cyrilla Suker leads her squad with 20 strikeouts… Binghamton was picked to finish eighth in the America East preseason poll.

UMBC vs. Binghamton All-Time: UMBC leads the all-time series with the Bearcats, 15-6. The Retrievers have won three straight and eight of the last 10 meetings. As America East rivals, the teams have met at least three times each year since UMBC joined the conference in 2006. The Retrievers swept last season’s three-game series.

On the Purple Eagles: Niagara is 9-7 on the season after dropping two of three at Lehigh last weekend and has lost six of its last eight games… Infielder Felicia Coffey leads the Purple Eagles in a number of offensive categories, including batting average (.407), runs (15), hits (22), doubles (6) and on-base percentage (.458)… Third baseman Kayla Hines is tops in RBI (14), home runs (4) and total bases (35)… Julie DiMatteo leads Niagara in each pitching category, including ERA (2.45), wins (4), strikeouts (32), innings pitched (33.0) and opponent batting average (.172)… Niagara was picked to finish second in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference preseason poll… Coffey and infielder Teresa Healy were both selected to the Preseason All-MAAC Team.

UMBC vs. Niagara All-Time: The Retrievers lead the all-time series with the Purple Eagles, 6-3. The teams have met in each of the last five seasons. UMBC and Niagara split a pair of games last year, with the Retrievers winning, 6-4, at the Maryland Spring Break Invitational, and the Purple Eagles taking a 7-6 decision at the UMBC Spring Classic a week later.

On the Colonials: Robert Morris is 7-9 on the season after dropping both games of a doubleheader to Pittsburgh on Tuesday… Prior to that, the Colonials had won six of their last eight games… Jaci Timko leads Robert Morris in batting average (.412), runs (9) and hits (21) and total bases (29), while Sarah Capp is tops with nine RBI… Alexa Bryson leads the Colonials in most pitching categories, including ERA (2.48), wins (4), innings pitched (42.1) and strikeouts (28)… Robert Morris was picked to finish second in the Northeast Conference preseason poll.

UMBC vs. Robert Morris All-Time: The Retrievers lead the all-time series with the Colonials, 10-6, and have won four straight, but the teams have not faced each other since they were Northeast Conference rivals in 2003. As NEC rivals, the teams met at least twice a year from 1999-2003.

On the Saints: Siena is 1-5 on the season after splitting a pair of games at the East Carolina Pirate Invitational on Feb. 27, but has not played since… Outfielder Jenny McNulty leads the Saints in batting average (.333), hits (5) and on-base percentage (.375)… Catcher Natasha Powlowsky has hit Siena’s lone home run of the season… The Saints have been outscored, 35-11, in six games… Jamie Piella leads Siena with a 4.41 ERA and is tied with Amanda Filippazzo with a team-best 11 strikeouts… The Saints were picked to finish in a tie for fifth place in the MAAC preseason poll.

UMBC vs. Siena All-Time: The Retrievers and Saints have only met once previously, a 9-1 six-inning victory for UMBC in 1997.

On the Red Flash: St. Francis is 10-12 on the season after going 3-1 at the Delaware State Capital Classic… Shortstop Kelly Slingwine leads the Red Flash in most offensive categories, including batting average (.417), runs (19), hits (25), RBI (21), doubles (6), on-base percentage (.500), total bases (40) and steals (15)… Outfielder Jamie Dixon has hit a team-high four home runs… Laura Caldwell leads St. Francis in every pitching category, including ERA (3.74), strikeouts (57), innings pitched (67.1) and opponent batting average (.245), and she is tied with Megan Layne with a team-high four wins… St. Francis was picked to finish fourth in the Northeast Conference preseason poll.

UMBC vs. St. Francis All-Time: The Retrievers lead the all-time series with the Red Flash, 24-8. The teams have met every season since 1994, including at least twice a year as Northeast Conference rivals from 1999-2003. The teams split two games at last season’s UMBC Spring Classic, with the Retrievers winning, 3-2, in pool play, and the Red Flash taking a 6-0 decision in the championship game.