Mount St. Mary’s had hardly put the ball in play, let alone get on base.
That’s why when Terrapin softball pitcher Crystal Crews surrendered a leadoff walk in the sixth inning, it looked as if the senior’s run might have come to an end.
Think again. Crews struck out the next three batters with ease, exhibiting the Terps’ pitching dominance in a pair of wins yesterday at the Terrapin Softball Complex.
Crews allowed just two hits in a seven-inning shutout, notching 13 strikeouts in the Terps’ 2-0 Game 1 win.
That was only the start of the Terps’ impressive pitching. Freshman Meredith Nelles tossed six shutout innings with 11 strikeouts and only four hits surrendered in a 8-0 Game 2 mercy-rule victory.
“I put a lot of pressure on them to turn up their game and set a tone,” coach Laura Watten said. “They had the right mentality going out and getting ahead of the hitters.”
The Terp hitters weren’t having much luck at the plate either in the first game. Both teams were held scoreless through the first five innings, but if anybody was going to cross the plate, it appeared it would be the Terps. They made solid contact throughout the game, but almost always directly at a fielder.
“A lot of hitting is mental and as long as you stay in the right set of mind, the hits will start to fall,” Watten said.
Finally, the Terps (18-15) got some breaks in the sixth inning. Freshman outfielder Amanda D’Attilio reached first on a throwing error by Mount St. Mary’s shortstop. Then junior Abbey Welch laid down what appeared to be a sacrifice bunt, but nobody covered first.
After a ground nut advanced the runners, junior infielder Keri Lounge hit the ball to shallow left field and both outfielders collided in a dive. The two runners scored and Lounge legged out a triple. The two runs proved to be all the Terps needed.
The second game never matched the first’s excitement, thanks to Nelles’ suffocating performance. By then, the Terps’ bats had heated up. D’Attilio was 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two triples and Lounge added another RBI and scored two runs.
The Terps have now won four games in two days and outscored their opponents a combined 22-1. However, Mount St. Mary’s and yesterday’s foe, Brown, have a combined record of 23-28.
After the game, Watten chose to look forward instead of at her four impressive victories. She hoped her team could continue it’s success against a tougher ACC. The Terps are 1-5 in the ACC thus far this season.
But if the Terps’ pitching continues the dominating play it’s exhibited in the past two days, there’s no reason to think that couldn’t change.
Contact reporter Nick Nichay at sports@dbk.umd.edu.
