Nikki Maier
The Terrapins softball team’s second game in its doubleheader against Coppin State on Wednesday did not end the way it hoped.
Ahead 7-1 going into the seventh inning, the Terps were cruising to a sweep of the Eagles. A combination of walks and errors, however, cut the lead to four. The tying run stepped to the plate for the Eagles with the bases loaded and two outs.
The Terps had the chance to clinch the victory on a high pop foul, but none of the three players surrounding the ball called off her teammates. The resulting confusion caused the ball to drop between them, giving Coppin State a second chance. Ultimately, pitcher Maddie Martin made the final out herself, notching her 10th strikeout to end the game.
A lackluster finish such as this is unlikely to yield the same winning result against N.C. State (17-16-1, 3-5 ACC) this weekend. Coach Laura Watten said the Terps (19-18, 4-2) need a fast start in addition to maintaining momentum until the last out.
“They’re going to be extra tough,” Watten said of N.C. State. “[We need to] make sure we just are all playing at our best level going into the weekend.”
The eighth-year coach stressed the importance of consistent defense and communication going into the next three games against the Wolfpack, something her players exhibited for the majority of their two games against the Eagles on Wednesday.
In the first inning of the second game, a Coppin State player hit a blooper to shallow left field. As infielder Nikki Maier ran back from shortstop, outfielder Amanda McCann called her off and made a sliding catch.
Once the players grew silent, however, the errors crept in.
“Communication is the key with our defense,” McCann said. “Things like the last inning [in the second game], we had a couple of errors. That was because we weren’t communicating very well.”
The young team has had abrupt dips in its performance in the past, most recently during its series against Florida State. N.C. State, though, has also had uneven showings in ACC play.
After the first-place Seminoles swept the Wolfpack to start an eight-game losing streak in early March, N.C. State got a pair of road wins against then-No. 19 Virginia Tech two weeks ago. But they then dropped two of three to Georgia Tech, bowing to the unpredictable nature of the ACC.
“It’s going to be a big challenge for us,” Watten said. “I think we’ll play well. We’re also tough to play in-conference, too.”
Both the Terps and the Wolfpack have experienced ups and downs during the season. If the Terps can make big plays on the defensive end, pitcher Kaitlyn Schmeiser said, it could spark a momentum boost they can feed off of throughout the series — on the field and at the plate.
Reserve outfielder Liana Newton did both on Wednesday, ripping a line drive off the outfield fence for a triple following her diving catch in the top half of the third in the first game of the series.
“We’re capable of making great plays like that every single day,” Schmeiser said. “When we do, we make it look easy.”
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