UMBC

Malorie Weller hit her second home run of the season against Albany.

BALTIMORE—The UMBC softball team (25-24, 6-12 AE) blasted three home runs, but it was not enough in a 5-4 loss to America East rival Albany (20-21, 9-8 AE) Sunday afternoon in the season finale at UMBC Softball Stadium.

Prior to the game, the Retrievers honored their four seniors – third baseman Amanda Fefel (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville), catcher Amanda Page (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia/Monroe CC), right fielder Emily Thompson (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) and shortstop Jessica Vetock (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame/CCBC-Catonsville) – in a Senior Day ceremony.

The Great Danes took a 1-0 first-inning lead on a two-out single by catcher Kat Smith, but the Retrievers responded with single runs in the first and second. With runners on second and third, junior designated player Lauren O’Malley (Pasadena, Md./Archbishop Spalding) drove in one run with an RBI groundout, and junior center fielder Julia Culotta (Street, Md./North Harford/Tennessee) led off the second with her fourth home run of the season to give UMBC a 2-1 lead.

An RBI single by Albany third baseman Michelle Connors tied the score at 2-2 in the third, and the Great Danes took the lead for good in the fifth on Connors’ two-out two-run double that made it 4-2.

Junior first baseman Malorie Weller (Round Hill, Va./Loudoun Valley/Kennesaw State) blasted her second home run of the season to center field with one out in the sixth to pull UMBC to within one, but Albany regained a two-run advantage with a run in the top of the seventh.

Sophomore left fielder Kaela Mason (Bel Air, Md./Harford Tech) led off the seventh with her fifth round-tripper of the year, and the Retrievers had runners on second and third with two outs after Thompson doubled and junior second baseman Lauren Brummell (Hanover, Va./Hanover) reached on an error, but they were stranded there to end the game.

Freshman Heather Brown (Pasadena, Md./Northeast) suffered the loss for the Retrievers to fall to 9-7 after allowing five runs on 10 hits in 6.1 innings. Allie Weiser (5-5) picked up the win for Albany; she gave up three runs on five hits in six innings, while Marissa Powell earned her second save of the year.

Culotta and Mason each went 2-for-3 with a home run to pace the Retrievers at the plate, while Connors was 2-for-3 with three RBI to lead Albany.