UMBC

Emily Thompson's seventh home run of the season tied game two in the seventh inning.

BALTIMORE—The UMBC softball team (19-17) used another seventh-inning rally to defeat La Salle (10-18) by a score of 8-7 in the second game of a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at UMBC Softball Stadium. The Explorers took a pitchers’ duel in game one, 2-0.

Game 1: La Salle 2, UMBC 0

UMBC junior Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) allowed just one earned run and struck out nine in seven innings but suffered the tough-luck loss, as La Salle starter D.J. Guinn became the first opposing pitcher to shut out the Retrievers.

Shortstop Ali Shepherd gave the Explorers an early lead with a one-out home run in the first inning, and the visitors added an unearned run in the seventh for the game’s only scoring.

Game 2: UMBC 8, La Salle 7

For the seventh time this season, the Retrievers won in their final at-bat. Trailing 7-5 heading into the seventh inning, senior third baseman Amanda Fefel (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) hit a one-out double to set the stage for senior right fielder Emily Thompson (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls), who tied the game with her seventh home run of the season.

Junior first baseman Malorie Weller (Round Hill, Va./Loudoun Valley/Kennesaw State) followed with a double and advanced to third on a passed ball, and senior catcher Amanda Page (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia/Monroe CC) walked to put runners on first and third. One batter later, the Retrievers executed a successful double steal, and Weller came home with the winning run.

UMBC found itself in an early 4-0 hole, as La Salle scored once in the first and three times in the third. The Retrievers got a run back in the bottom of the third on an RBI double by junior second baseman Lauren Brummell (Hanover, Va./Hanover).

The Explorers scored an unearned run in the fifth to make it 5-1, but the Retrievers scored three times in the bottom of the inning to pull to within one. Brummell hit her second run-scoring double of the game, and she later scored on a passed ball. UMBC’s third run of the inning scored on an error.

But La Salle retook a three-run lead in the sixth on a two-out, two-run blast by Guinn, who was pinch hitting. The Retrievers made it 7-5 in the bottom of the inning on a two-out RBI single by senior shortstop Jessica Vetock (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame/CCBC-Catonsville).

Freshman Heather Brown (Pasadena, Md./Northeast) earned the victory in relief after allowing two runs in three innings of work. Fefel started the game and gave up five runs (three earned) in four frames and struck out four. Laura Beth McCreesh took the loss for La Salle after allowing four runs on four hits in two innings in relief after Kristen Paoletti surrendered four runs (two earned) in the first 4.2 frames.

The Retrievers return to action on Wednesday, when they host cross-town rival Coppin State at 3 p.m.