The Maryland softball team fell to Butler and No. 4 Oregon to start the Missouri Tournament.
Maryland couldn’t hold its 2-0 lead in the first game, falling to Butler, 3-2. In the second game, Oregon’s freshman pitcher Miranda Elish held Maryland to two hits in a 14-0 victory.
Pitcher Hannah Dewey threw five scoreless innings against Butler but took the loss. Infielder Skylynne Ellazar had two hits in four plate appearances, while outfielder Kassidy Cross went 3-for-3. Ellazar struggled during the Mardi Gras Invitational last weekend, going 1-for-16 at the plate.
Dewey escaped a bases-loaded situation in the first inning. A walk and two singles loaded the bases, but she induced a ground out to end the threat.
Maryland got on the board in the fifth inning. Outfielder Destiney Henderson walked and later scored on Ellazar’s an RBI triple. Infielder Anna Kufta hit a sacrifice fly to score Ellazar from third.
But in the sixth inning, Butler (5-6) led off the inning with two straight singles before outfielder Brandyce Sallee hit a two-RBI double, knocking Dewey out of the game. Butler took the 3-2 lead when infielder Kaitlin Doud singled to score pinch runner Sammy Andersen.
After a close defeat, Maryland couldn’t hang with Oregon. Entering the game, Oregon’s 1.07 ERA ranked 10th in Division I softball. Against the Terps, pitcher Miranda Elish tossed a two-hit shutout in the five-inning game for her third win of the year.
While Maryland’s offense was held in check, Oregon (15-0) dominated the Terps four pitchers en route to 14 runs on 18 hits. The Ducks manufactured two runs in the first two innings and added three runs in the third. Infielder Shannon Rhodes hit a three-run homer after a single and double led off the inning.
Oregon further broke the game open in the fourth inning with five runs. Pitcher Lauren Graves gave up the five runs on four singles and two walks before exiting for pitcher Ari Jarvis. The sophomore pitcher forced Oregon to strand bases loaded.
The Ducks added two more runs in the fifth inning to make it a 14-0 game. In the bottom half of the inning, Aughinbaugh singled to center field and advanced to third after two wild pitches, but infielder Brigette Nordberg struck out to end the game.
Aughinbaugh and Cross were the only two Terps to record hits against Elish.
Maryland plays against Stephen F. Austin and No. 24 Missouri on Saturday, before closing the tournament against Missouri on Sunday.
