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News Release
Softball Continues Home Stand by Hosting Howard on Thursday
3/29/2012
BALTIMORE, Md. – Coming off of two straight wins earlier in the week, the UMBC softball team (13-14) continues its season-long 10 game home stand by hosting Howard on Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. at the UMBC Softball Stadium.
Junior Heather Brown (Pasadena, Md./Northeast) will get the ball for the Retrievers on Thursday against Howard. Brown (3-5) last started for UMBC back on March 15 against St. Francis (Pa.) when she gave up four runs on four hits in four innings of work. Since then, the right-hander has made three relief appearances, yielding only six runs over 8.1 innings. Brown has struck out 20 batters this year while issuing only 15 walks.
UMBC is 13-14 over and 1-2 in America East play this season after winning a game each against Albany and George Washington earlier in the week. After dropping the first two games of a rain soaked three-game weekend series with America East rival Albany, the Retrievers rebounded on Monday and rallied to defeat the Great Danes, 4-3. Trailing by one going into the bottom of the seventh, UMBC tied the game on an RBI single to right-centerfield by sophomore Jessica Warner (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown). After a pop up and an intentional walk, freshman Courtney Paone (Middletown, N.J./Middletown) drove a fly ball to right field, allowing senior Katrina Gaar (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar/Orange Coast CC) to race home with the walk-off win.
UMBC continued its momentum by pounding out nine hits and scoring seven runs in a win over George Washington on Tuesday. Sophomore Caitlin Chance (Easton, Md./Easton) went 2-for-3 with a homerun and three RBIs to pace the Retrievers who have won four of their last six contests.
Through 27 games in 2012, Warner leads the Black and Gold with a .361 average (30-for-83), 18 runs scored, 18 RBIs and eight homeruns. Freshman Taylor Hall (Cosby, Va./Cosby) has also impressed early this year with a .325 average (26-for-80) and three homeruns.
Senior Katie Ferguson (North East, Md./North East/Cecil CC) has been the most consistent pitcher for the Retrievers with an 8-6 record this year. She has won eight of her last ten starts with a 1.58 ERA in 71 innings of work during that stretch.
Scouting the Bison
Howard enters Thursday’s contest at 4-19 after sweeping UMES in a doubleheader last Saturday. The Bison had lost 16 of 17 games prior to last weekend’s sweep.
Freshman Dominique Lawrence leads Howard with a .361 batting average (30-for-83) this season. As of Monday, she sits tied for 238th among all NCAA Division I athletes.
Inside the Series
UMBC leads the all-time series with Howard, 15-2, and had won three straight in the series before the Bison knocked off the Retrievers, 11-6, in the second game of a doubleheader in 2010.
The Retrievers started the series winning the first 11 games between the two schools. Howard first defeated UMBC on Mar. 12, 2008, 2-1.