Asked about the Terrapin softball team’s disappointing doubleheader split against Longwood yesterday, infielder Marisha Branson took a step back from near the Terps’ dugout and paused, parsing her words carefully.

“It’s just disappointing,” Branson said after the Terps (32-20) lost the series finale 5-1 to Longwood (36-16) in the Terps’ last home game of the year. “We should have been able to come out here and finish a lot stronger.”

Except for the Longwood fans who made the trip from Farmville, Va., Branson was joined in silence by most of Taylor Stadium after the game, shocked by the demoralizing defeat to the Lancers.

During the later innings of the second game, a similar eerie hush came across the stadium as the Terps were taken apart by the same pitcher they enjoyed success against in the first half of the doubleheader. The only cheers were for Longwood, coming from the surprisingly pro-Lancer crowd.

“We didn’t give our best,” coach Laura Watten said. “We didn’t play our best. We didn’t come out our best. It’s what happens when you don’t.”

The Terps jumped on Longwood pitcher Briana Wells early in the opener, taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. But after the initial outburst, the Terps’ offense went cold for the majority of the game.

Fortunately for the Terps, pitcher Kerry Hickey took a perfect game into the sixth inning and kept the Terps in control of the game, which they eventually won, 3-1.

But after a relatively easy, albeit close, victory in the opener, game two was a completely different story.

Wells again took the mound for the Lancers, but despite having already faced her for the entirety of the opener, the Terps were unable to solve her a second time. They scratched out only five hits and one run while stranding eight runners on base.

“Knowing that they pitched her in the second game, we should have already made the adjustments and been able to kick her out of the game,” outfielder Vangie Galindo said. “We should have jumped on her right away.”

Pitcher Kendra Knight allowed only two runs in four innings, but struggled late. After Hickey relieved her, the Lancers plated three more runs, putting the game out of reach for the Terps’ listless offense.

“We didn’t come out and hit the ball like we needed to,” Watten said. “They threw the same pitcher both games; we should have been hitting the ball better.”

As the Terps failed to stage a rally in the final innings, managing only one hit over the final three frames, their home crowd fell deathly silent, stunned at the 5-1 result in the season’s final contest in College Park.

“We knew they were going to be hitting, and they hit well — they hit the ball well.” Watten said. “We just have to be better. We didn’t do what we needed to do today.”

The loss to Longwood isn’t as hurtful to the Terps’ NCAA Tournament hopes as  their two losses earlier this season to Towson. After all, the Lancers are a well-regarded team with a record over .500 and earlier wins against Virginia and Virginia Tech.

But in their postgame autograph sessions, the Terps wore the look of a team that had just suffered its worst loss of the year.

“The second game was just embarrassing,” Galindo said bluntly. “Shouldn’t have came out like that. We shouldn’t have came out like we did.”

The Terps close their regular season and conference slate next weekend against last-place Boston College, which has won just one league game. No matter how much the Eagles have struggled this year, memories of Saturday’s disheartening loss will likely make the trip with the Terps up to Chestnut Hill, Mass.

“The key is gonna be that our bats show up,” Watten said. “Hopefully we’ll bring those along with us.”

schneider@umdbk.com