UMBC

Lauren Brummell went 4-for-9 with a double and a homer against Delaware.

NEWARK, Del—The UMBC softball team ran its winning streak to nine games with a pair of victories at Delaware Tuesday afternoon. The Retrievers defeated the Blue Hens, 6-5, in 10 innings in game one, then won, 4-2, in a five-inning game that was shortened by darkness in the nightcap. UMBC improves to 9-1 on the season, while Delaware falls to 2-12. In addition, the Retrievers’ second victory of the day represented the 500th career win for head coach Joe French.

Game 1: UMBC 6, Delaware 5 (10 innings)

Junior first baseman Malorie Weller (Round Hill, Va./Loudoun Valley/Kennesaw State) put the Retrievers on the board in the third inning with a two-out RBI single that plated junior left fielder Lynn Pronobis (Waldorf, Md./McDonough), and UMBC made it 2-0 with an unearned run in the fifth.

The Retrievers clung to their two-run lead until the bottom of the sixth, when the Blue Hens tied the game with a two-out two-run triple by catcher Gina Knutson.

The contest remained deadlocked until the top of the ninth, when the Retrievers put runners on second and third with two outs, and they both scored on a single by senior catcher Amanda Page (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia/Monroe CC). Page, who took second on the throw home, came all the way around to score when Knutson’s throw from home sailed all the way to the center field fence, giving UMBC a 5-2 lead.

But the hosts again rallied in the bottom of the inning. Center fielder Jenny Richards led off with a double and scored on a wild pitch. Then with two on and two out, pitcher Amanda Stacevicz drove them both in with a single to center that knotted the game again.

With one out in the 10th, junior second baseman Lauren Brummell (Hanover, Va./Hanover) laced a homer over the right field fence to put the Retrievers back on top, 6-5, and senior Amanda Fefel (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) retired the Blue Hens in order in the bottom of the inning to close out UMBC’s eighth straight victory.

Fefel picked up her first win of the season, despite allowing three runs in three innings. Junior starter Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) gave up two runs in seven innings but did not factor into the decision. Stacevicz (0-5) suffered the loss after giving up Brummell’s homer in 1.1 innings of work. Blue Hen starter Anne Marie Pagano allowed five runs (three earned) in the first 8.2 innings.

Both teams collected 11 hits in the game. The Retrievers were paced by Brummell, who was 3-for-6, while Page and Weller also had a pair of base knocks.

Game 2: UMBC 4, Delaware 2 (5 innings)

UMBC used a four-run third inning to take control of the nightcap. With two outs, Brummell ignited a rally with a double and later scored on a single by Weller. After Fefel followed with a single, junior center fielder Julia Culotta (Street, Md./North Harford/Tennessee) and sophomore third baseman Kaela Mason (Bel Air, Md./North Harford) both walked to force home a run and chase Delaware starter Bertie Lake from the game. Senior right fielder Emily Thompson (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) greeted reliever Stacevicz with a single up the middle, driving in a pair of runs.

Freshman hurler Heather Brown (Pasadena, Md./Northeast), the reigning America East Rookie of the Week, was perfect through the first four innings before shortstop Michelle Grap led off the fifth with a solo home run. With one out, right fielder Rachel Jones doubled and first baseman Shanette White singled to put runners on the corners, and Jones came in to score when third baseman Emily Wilcox reached on an error to make it 4-2. Brown then escaped the jam by inducing a grounder to shortstop, and the game was called due to darkness, giving UMBC the win.

Brown improved to 4-0 with the first complete game of her career. She allowed two runs on three hits and did not walk a batter in five innings. Lake (1-3) suffered the loss after giving up four runs (three earned) in 2.2 innings of work. Stacevicz did not surrender a run while striking out three in the final 2.1 frames.

Fefel paced the Retrievers at the plate with two of her team’s six hits in the game.