Three weeks ago, the Terrapins softball team was little more than an afterthought. It had just been swept by Georgia Tech, had lost nine of its previous 11 games and was winless in six conference games.
How quickly things can change.
After a three-game sweep of Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., this weekend, the Terps have won 12 of their past 13 games and eight of nine in league play. A squad that was dead last in the ACC less than a month ago is now fifth in the conference.
Kendra Knight was again the catalyst for the Terps against the Eagles. The senior pitcher was in the circle for all 19 innings the team played this weekend, allowing just four runs in the doubleheader on Saturday and no runs in a shutout victory yesterday.
“Kendra is playing well and really setting the tone,” coach Laura Watten said. “She has been keeping things simple, learning from her mistakes and staying focused which has allowed her to stay effective from inning to inning.”
On Saturday, the Terps (32-18, 8-7 ACC) won, 4-1, in the first game and 4-3 in the second. No one on the team had more than one hit or one RBI in either game, but timely hitting and Knight’s stellar 14-strikeout performance was enough to keep the last-place Eagles (22-26, 2-16) at bay.
Yesterday, five different Terps – including Knight’s batterymate Shannon Bustillos – recorded two RBI as the Terps cruised to an 11-0 victory in five innings.
The team combined for 12 hits, including three from senior left fielder Vangie Galindo.
“Hits are contagious and they really get things going,” Watten said. “We left a lot of opportunities out there yesterday, so our main goal today was scoring runs.”
The sweep sends the Terps into their final regular-season series of the year this weekend when they host first-place Florida State, a team that poses the biggest threat to date to the Terps’ now-six game winning streak.
Not that Watten is worrying about it.
“We’ve been in shape,” Watten said. “We are hitting our stride. We’ve been playing good offensively and strong defensively.”
popper@umdbk.com
