The Terrapin softball team was 10-1 when scoring in the first inning going into Wednesday’s doubleheader against George Mason. They capitalized on that statistic again last night when they put six runs on the board in the first inning behind home runs by Lindsey Ubrun and catcher Nikki Smith.

The Terps won the first game 12-0, then took care of business in the second game, winning 9-1. And even though Smith went 5-for-6 on the night with six RBIs, the biggest story may have been in the pitching circle.

Senior flamethrower Crystal Crews pitched her first no-hitter since last season, walking one and striking out seven in the mercy rule-shortened five-inning game. Only three of her pitches even reached the outfield.

“It was exciting,” Crews said. “You don’t go out there expecting to throw one. They just sometimes happen. The ‘W’ is all that matters.”

Elyse Lucas, who had previously only pitched 6.2 innings this year, held the Patriots to one run on two hits, as she went the distance in the six-inning contest. She hit the corners with her pitches and stifled Patriot batters, striking out six.

“We wanted to get Elyse in to continue to work on her pitches, because she did really well over the weekend against Virginia Tech,” coach Laura Watten said. “We want to keep developing her and utilizing her as a part of our rotation.”

Smith’s big day at the plate ended with a single to center field, scoring Medley McGuire and Jenny Belak to make it a nine-run game, enforcing the mercy rule once again.

“Hitting is mental at this stage, and I think that she has gotten herself in the right mental state, and the right mode,” Watten said. “She’s stepped up and played really well.”

The Terps fully expected to sweep George Mason, as the Patriots came into the series with an abysmal 1-37 record. But the manner with which they disposed of the struggling team said a lot about the Terps’ focus.

“I think that’s a challenge that every team faces,” Watten said. “When you reach a high level, you really want to maintain it, and that was our goal today.”

Contact reporter Mark Selig at mselig@gmail.com.