UMBC

Lauren Brummell broke UMBC's single-season record with her 20th double in Game 2.

BALTIMORE—UMBC sophomore hurler Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) blanked Hartford (19-22, 9-9 AEC) over 11 innings to lead the UMBC softball team (34-19, 12-8 AEC) to a doubleheader sweep and a spot in the four-team America East Championships. The Retrievers won the first game, 9-0, in five innings, then took the nightcap, 8-0, in six frames.

Entering the weekend, UMBC could secure a playoff berth with three wins over the Hawks but could also advance with two wins and a Maine loss at Vermont. The Catamounts’ 8-4 victory in the second game against the Black Bears on Saturday ensured the Retrievers’ spot.

“We won in convincing fashion with two outstanding efforts,” UMBC head coach Joe French said. “What’s amazing about this team all year is we never quit. We had numerous players step up time and time again, and it was never the same person all the time. When you pitch well, hit well and defend well, good things usually happen, and that was definitely true today.”

Weigman and sophomore second baseman Lauren Brummell (Hanover, Va./Hanover) each set records in the second game. Weigman fanned 19 batters on the day, including the 423rd of her career, breaking Crystal Ray’s nine-year-old school strikeout record, while Brummell notched her 19th and 20th doubles of the season, topping former teammate Dana Shepherd’s 19 two-baggers in 2007.

The Retrievers pounded out 23 hits, including nine for extra bases in the two games.

Game 1: UMBC 9, Hartford 0 (5 innings)

The Retrievers broke the game open with a six-run second inning, with all the scoring coming with two outs. Junior shortstop Jessica Vetock (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame/CCBC-Catonsville), Brummell and junior designated player Amanda Fefel (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) hit consecutive RBI doubles, while junior right fielder Emily Thompson (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) and sophomore center fielder Julia Culotta (Street, Md./North Harford/Tennessee) each drove in runs with singles. Four of UMBC’s seven hits in the inning went for two bases.

A pair of two-out infield hits in the third set the stage for Culotta, who launched her sixth home run of the season over the center field fence to put the Retrievers on top, 9-0.

Weigman (21-14) struck out nine and limited the Hawks to one hit in the five-inning complete game, despite walking six. Hartford starter Brittney Stratton (14-10) suffered the loss.

Culotta went 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored to pace the Retrievers at the plate. Sophomore first baseman Lauren O'Malley (Pasadena, Md./Archbishop Spalding) and senior third baseman Krista Kearns (Santa Fe Springs, Calif./Santa Fe) also had two hits apiece, while Kearns scored twice and Vetock drove in a pair of runs.

Hartford’s lone hit came in the third inning, a single by third baseman Sara Messinger.

Game 2: UMBC 8, Hartford 0 (6 innings)

The Retrievers led off the game with four straight hits, including an RBI double by Fefel and a three-run homer by sophomore left fielder Malorie Weller (Round Hill, Va./Loudoun Valley/Kennesaw State).

Brummell’s record-breaking double came as part of a three-run second inning, when Fefel, O’Malley and junior catcher Amanda Page (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia/Monroe CC) each drove in runs with RBI singles to put UMBC on top, 7-0.

The score remained the same until the bottom of the sixth, when the Retrievers again used a two-out rally to finish the game. With the bases loaded, O’Malley singled to left field to drive in Thompson with the winning run.

Weigman (22-14) allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out 10 in six innings. Her eighth strikeout of the game was the record breaker, and she now has 425 in her career. Siera Sheehan (5-11) suffered the loss after giving up seven runs on eight hits in 1.2 innings of work. Stratton allowed the final run on five hits over the last four innings in relief.

Six Retrievers picked up multiple hits in the game, led by Weller, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI. Fefel went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Brummell and Thompson each had two hits and scored twice.

UMBC and Hartford meet again for the regular-season finale Sunday at 12 p.m. The Retrievers will honor their three seniors – Kearns, designated player Alison Duff (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport/Monroe CC) and outfielder Randi Willey (Millersville, Md./Old Mill/Bowie State) – in a pregame ceremony.