UMBC

Lauren Brummell went 5-for-9 with two RBI in the doubleheader against George Washington.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—For the second time in three games, the UMBC softball team (2-5) pounded out 14 hits in an 8-5 victory over George Washington in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at the Colonials’ Mount Vernon Field. The Retrievers dropped the nightcap, 4-2.

Game 1: UMBC 8, George Washington 5

UMBC struck for six runs and eight hits through three innings of the first game. The Retrievers manufactured a run with a walk, a stolen base, a sacrifice bunt and an RBI single in the first to take a 1-0 lead, but the Colonials answered back with two in the bottom of the frame.

The Retrievers tied it in the second on a double by junior third baseman Angela Yannone (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) and an RBI single by junior catcher Becca Bernheimer (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen), but George Washington regained the lead in the bottom of the inning on a squeeze bunt by left fielder Courtney Martin.

But UMBC broke it open in the top of the third with four runs and five hits to take a 6-3 lead. The Retrievers loaded the bases with no outs for senior left fielder Julia Culotta (Street, Md./North Harford/Tennessee), who singled in one run. Yannone then walked with the bases still juiced to force in another run, and sophomore right fielder Ashley Scroggin (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) plated another run with a single. Senior center fielder Lynn Pronobis (Waldorf, Md./McDonough) capped the rally with an RBI infield single.

The Retrievers added to their lead in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by freshman shortstop Jessica Warner (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) and an RBI single by senior second baseman Lauren Brummell (Hanover, Va./Hanover). The Colonials also scored twice in the bottom of the fifth to make it an 8-5 game, but they could get no more, going down in order in each of the last two innings.

Senior hurler Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) picked up her second win of the season (2-3) despite allowing five runs on six hits in 4.1 innings of work. Freshman Kayla Martinez (Odenton, Md./Arundel) earned her first career save by retiring all eight batters she faced. The second of three Colonial pitchers in the game, Kara Clauss took the loss for George Washington after allowing five runs on eight hits in 2.1 innings.

Brummell paced the Retrievers at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two RBI.

Game 2: George Washington 4 ,UMBC 2

George Washington rallied to win the nightcap, 4-2, with three runs in the bottom of the sixth.

UMBC struck first, scoring twice in the third inning on Culotta’s two-run single, the fourth hit of the inning. But George Washington first baseman Sandi Moynihan sliced the lead in half with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the inning.

The score remained 2-1 until the sixth, when the Colonials struck for three runs, with the first two coming on wild pitches. Catcher Jillian Stanley then capped the rally with a one-out RBI double that brought home GW’s fourth run of the game.

Martinez suffered the tough-luck loss in her first career start. She had allowed just one run on three hits through the first five innings before surrendering two runs on two hits in the fifth. She finished with three runs on five hits in 5.1 inning before giving way to junior Katie Ferguson (North East, Md./North East/Cecil CC), who allowed one run on three hits in the final two-thirds of an inning. Clauss earned the victory for George Washington, pitching four scoreless innings in relief.

Culotta went 3-for-3 with two RBI to pace the Retrievers at the plate. She and Brummell were a combined 10-for-17 with five RBI in the two games.

The Retrievers return to action this weekend, when they host the UMBC Retriever Classic.