UMBC

Lauren Brummell hit her second heroic homer of the week, giving the Retrievers a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth.

ALBANY, N.Y.—Down 2-0 in the top of the seventh, UMBC right fielder Emily Thompson (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) tied the game with her second home run in as many days, but the Retrievers (25-16, 5-6 AEC) dropped the rubber match of the three-game series against America East rival Albany (21-10, 4-3 AEC) by a score of 4-3, on Great Dane catcher Kat Smith’s walk-off bomb in the bottom of the eighth Saturday afternoon at Albany Field.

Thompson’s shot came after Albany starter Leah McIntosh had shut the Retrievers down all afternoon, allowing just two hits through the first six innings. But with one on and one out, the junior cranked her third homer of the season over the left field fence to send the game into extra innings.

With two outs in the top of the eighth, second baseman Lauren Brummell (Hanover, Va./Hanover) drilled the ball over the wall in right-center to put the Retrievers on top for the first time, 3-2. It was Brummell’s second heroic homer of the week, as her solo shot in the bottom of the seventh against Binghamton on Wednesday sent the game into extra innings.

But with one out in the bottom of the inning, first baseman Gina Mason was hit by a pitch, and Smith, who already had two hits on the day, followed with her first long ball of the season to give the hosts the victory.

Mason led off the second inning with a home run of her own to give the Great Danes an early 1-0 advantage, and a Retriever error with two outs in the fifth kept the inning alive for right fielder Jess Bergin, who made it 2-0 with an RBI single.

UMBC starter Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) was charged with the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and striking out eight in 7.1 innings of work. She falls to 15-11. McIntosh (13-1) picked up the victory after surrendering three runs on five hits and striking out seven without walking a batter in eight frames.

The Retrievers return to action on Tuesday, April 14, when they travel to Bucknell for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.