UMBC

Julia Culotta had four hits against Brown on Sunday.

BALTIMORE—The UMBC softball team (7-1) ran its winning streak to seven in a row with a pair of victories over Brown (2-2) to take the UMBC Retriever Classic title Sunday afternoon at UMBC Softball Stadium. At 7-1, the Retrievers are off to their best eight-game start in program history.

UMBC 4, Brown 2

In the final game of pool play, the Bears struck first in the top of the first inning, getting a leadoff double from shortstop Katie Rothamel and an RBI single by third baseman Stephanie Thompson. But the Retrievers responded quickly in the bottom of the inning with back-to-back doubles by junior first baseman Malorie Weller (Round Hill, Va./Loudoun Valley/Kennesaw State) and senior designated player Amanda Fefel (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) and consecutive RBI singles by senior catcher Amanda Page (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia/Monroe CC) and junior center fielder Julia Culotta (Street, Md./North Harford/Tennessee) to take a 2-1 lead. The hosts threatened for more but stranded the bases loaded.

Brown manufactured a run in the fourth to tie the game, as first baseman Kate Strobel led off with a single, stole second and scored on a base hit by pitcher Lauren Katchee. But UMBC again had an answer, as freshman pitcher Heather Brown (Pasadena, Md./Northeast) lifted her first career home run over the left field fence and Weller knocked in junior second baseman Lauren Brummell (Hanover, Va./Hanover) with an RBI single.

Brown (3-0) picked up her third victory of the season, allowing two runs on six hits and striking out four in five innings. Fefel earned her third save of the season by tossing two scoreless innings to close out the game. Katchee suffered the loss for the Bears after giving up four runs on eight hits in four innings of work, while Trish Melvin pitched two scoreless frames in relief.

Championship Game: UMBC 6, Brown 5

The Bears again scored a run in the top of the first inning of the championship game, as Strobel drove in catcher Amanda Asay with a two-out single. But UMBC again responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Three straight singles to start the frame plated one run, while a throwing error allowed another before Culotta drove in the third with another base hit. Weller plated the Retrievers’ fourth run with a two-out double in the second.

After Brown’s first two batters of the third struck out, Asay walked and Strobel came up with another big hit, lifting a two-run homer over to left to bring the Bears to within one, 4-3.

In the bottom of the fifth, senior right fielder Emily Thompson (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) knocked in a pair of insurance runs with a two-out double, and they paid off as Brown scored twice in the top of the seventh, but with two outs and the bases loaded, Fefel struck out Melvin to end the game and earn her fourth save of the season.

Junior Stephanie Weigman (Elkridrge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) improved to 4-1 with the win, allowing three runs on two hits and striking out seven in six innings of work. Liz DiMascio suffered the loss for Brown after giving up four runs on five hits over the first two innings, while Melvin pitched the final four frames and allowed two runs on four hits.

“We hit the ball extremely hard all weekend,” head coach Joe French said. “Our pitchers made big pitches when they needed to, and we found a way to win a couple tight games.”