UMBC

Amanda Fefel had three hits against Howard.

BALTIMORE—The UMBC softball team (11-3) split a doubleheader with Howard (2-11) Wednesday afternoon at UMBC Softball Stadium. The Retrievers defeated the Bison, 3-1, in the first game before dropping the nightcap, 11-6.

Game 1: UMBC 3, Howard 1

The Retrievers got on the board early, as senior third baseman Amanda Fefel (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) doubled with one out in the bottom of the first to drive in junior second baseman Lauren Brummell (Hanover, Va./Hanover), who walked and stole second base to lead off the game. Three batters later, senior catcher Amanda Page (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia/Monroe CC) plated Fefel with a two-out single to right field.

UMBC made it 3-0 in the third, as Fefel walked and eventually scored on an error. The Retrievers had runners on first and third with one out but could not manufacture another run.

Junior Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) retired nine of the first 11 batters she faced before running into some trouble in the fourth. However, with two on and one out, she induced back-to-back groundouts to get out of the inning, then escaped a bases loaded jam in the fifth with another groundout.

The Bison got their lone run of the game in the sixth on an RBI groundout by first baseman Ciera Gordon.

Weigman (6-1) went the distance to earn the victory, allowing one unearned run on four hits and striking out four. Carly Martin (0-3) suffered the loss after giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits in four innings of work. Emily Johnson allowed just one hit in two scoreless frames.

Senior right fielder Emily Thompson (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) went 2-for-3 to pace the Retrievers at the plate, while Howard catcher Aisha Ledet had two of the Bison’s four hits.

Game 2: Howard 11, UMBC 6

Howard exploded for four runs in the first inning, as the UMBC defense committed three errors. The Bison took a 5-0 lead in the second  on an RBI single by shortstop Rebecca Kirshner.

Freshman Ashley Scroggin (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) led off the bottom of the second with a home run to left-center, her first career hit, and the Retrievers tied the score an inning later with four runs. Senior shortstop Jessica Vetock (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame/CCBC-Catonsville) walked to start the inning, then scored on Brummell’s triple. After junior first baseman Malorie Weller (Round Hill, Va./Loudoun Valley/Kennesaw State) reached on an error, Fefel plated Brummell with a single to right. Thompson loaded the bases with an infield single, and Scroggin drove in the third run of the inning with a sacrifice fly. After junior center fielder Julia Culotta (Street, Md./North Harford/Tennessee) walked to reload the bases, sophomore catcher Angela Yannone (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) drove in Fefel with another sac fly to make it 5-5.

The Bison broke the tie in the fifth with a two-run homer by left fielder Christine Sborz, then broke the game open with four more runs in the sixth to make it 11-5. UMBC got one back in the seventh on Thompson’s bases loaded walk, but a double play ended the game.

Freshman Heather Brown (Pasadena, Md./Northeast) started the game for the Retrievers and allowed five runs on 10 hits in 3.1 innings of work. Fefel (1-1) suffered the loss in relief after surrendering six runs on six hits in the final 3.2 innings. Johnson (1-0) picked up the win for Howard after allowing just one run on one hit in three innings of relief. Christine McCoy started the game for the Bison and gave up five runs on four hits over the first four frames.

Fefel collected two of UMBC’s five hits in the game, while Scroggin drove in a pair. Howard’s bats exploded for 16 hits, led by right fielder Lorae Robinson and designated player Courtney Young, who had three apiece.

The Retrievers return to action this weekend when they host the three-day UMBC Spring Classic beginning Friday.