Maryland softball suffers series sweep against Michigan’s high-powered offense

For the third straight game, the Maryland softball team allowed Michigan leadoff hitter Sierra Lawrence to get on base to start the bottom of the first inning.

After the outfielder walked on Friday and was hit by a pitch in the foot on Saturday, Lawrence drew a free pass to start things for the Wolverines offense on Sunday.

And as she did in the first two games of the series, Lawrence came around to score, giving the Wolverines another early lead. Two pitches after Lawrence reached base, Michigan infielder Sierra Romero drove her in with a blast over the fence.

While pitcher Brenna Nation settled in against No. 2 Michigan’s lineup after the early home run, keeping her team within reach for most of the outing, the Terps lost, 8-0, in less than six innings. Maryland’s lineup couldn’t generate much production, and pitcher Madison Martin, who relieved Nation, faltered in the fifth frame.

The Terps offense played without outfielder Sarah Calta for the second straight game. Calta injured her leg in Friday’s contest while racing back to pursue a fly ball to deep right field.

Against pitcher Megan Betsa, who entered the game leading the Wolverines with a 2.25 ERA, Maryland did not register the team’s only hit until the fifth inning. Betsa struck out eight in the contest.

The Terps scored one total run in the series and were shut out in the final two games. The lack of production at the plate didn’t allow Maryland to keep pace with Michigan’s explosive hitting.

Early in Sunday’s contest, however, Nation kept the score close.

The hurler struggled to find the strike zone on Friday — the six walks she allowed in that game contributed to the nine runs she surrendered — but her control improved Sunday, holding Michigan to three walks in 3.2 innings

Nation also escaped a difficult situation in the third. The Wolverines loaded the bases with two outs after a single, walk and hit by pitch. But she managed a pop out from infielder Lindsay Montemarano to end the frame.

But Nation wasn’t able to keep Michigan off the board in the fourth. Martin replaced her after Nation surrendered a one-out RBI single.

But Martin couldn’t silence the Wolverines, either. In the fifth inning, Lawrence and Wolverines catcher Aidan Falk smacked RBI-doubles, forcing coach Julie Wright to bring Nation back into the game.

Falk ended the contest via run rule in the sixth with an RBI off Nation that sailed over outfielder Destiney Henderson’s head.