Maryland softball utility player Hannah Dewey told coach Julie Wright she had never seen a crowd like the one at Maryland Softball Stadium during the team’s Sunday doubleheader against Michigan State.
The Terps fed off the fans’ energy to capture their first series win of the season, defeating the Spartans 10-2 and 9-8 after losing by nine runs Friday.
Wright has preached the importance of creating an atmosphere in which the fans — especially young kids — feel invested in the team.
During the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader, a group of children joined in with the team’s dugout chants. Whenever Michigan State pitcher Kristina Zalewski got to three balls on a Terps hitter, the kids would bounce up and down and scream, “Three balls, three balls, three balls,” along with the players in the dugout.
Then the kids started their own chants, prompting Dewey to turn around in the dugout, smile wide and raise her arms in the air. She appreciated the support.
“It’s amazing,” Wright said. “They’re into it, and that’s really what we’re trying to get done here.”
Infielder Lindsey Schmeiser added that it’s “always great” to see kids involved in the game because their cheering “gives you a little more energy.”
Schmeiser paced Maryland’s weekend offense, going 6-for-11 with two RBIs. Outfielders Destiney Henderson and Kylie Datil, meanwhile, each added four hits in the series. The Terps notched 32 hits in three games against the Spartans.
But one of the most important moments for the offense didn’t involve a swing. With the bases loaded and the score tied at eight in the seventh inning of the series finale, backup infielder Emily Libero stepped up to the plate. She had entered the game in the first frame when infielder Skylynne Ellazar injured her knee.
Libero said she “really was trying to hit the ball hard somewhere” to score Henderson from third. With one out in the inning, even a sacrifice fly would have done the job.
Zalewski hit Libero with a pitch to bring home the winning run. When asked about the at-bat after the game, the infielder laughed, shrugged her shoulders and said, “It works.”
Maryland scored 22 runs against Michigan State, compared with the 13 it scored in last weekend’s series with Nebraska. Wright believes the turnaround was the result of the Terps’ midweek preparation, as she pushed the team to be more aggressive at the plate.
“The team really responded to the message,” Wright said. “We’re getting to a point where they’re really committed.”
The Terps will be away from home next weekend, though, and Schmeiser hopes they can replicate their success without the boisterous crowd.
The key, she said, will be going in with the mentality the Terps displayed against the Spartans.
“I think Penn State should be a good series,” she added. “They’re a team we can compete with.”
