The Maryland softball team dropped both opening games of the Highlander Classic on Friday in Riverside, California.
Against both Tennessee Martin and Iona, Maryland (3-17-1) struggled to put together runs. Big innings from the Skyhawks and the Gaels broke each contest open as the Terps lost, 8-2, to Tennessee Martin, and 8-3 to Iona.
Against Tennessee Martin (16-5), Maryland’s two freshmen from California racked up hits in the first. Outfielder Amanda Brashear singled and infielder Anna Kufta hit an RBI double to score Brashear. Then, infielder Skylynne Ellazar doubled to score Kufta and put the Terps up, 2-0.
But that was the extent of Maryland’s run-scoring prowess. The Terps didn’t record a hit from the fourth to the sixth inning.
Tennessee Martin benefitted from five Maryland errors, leading to four unearned runs. Four of the errors were credited to Ellazar at shortstop, giving her a team-high 11 errors.
Without offensive support, the Terps relied on starting pitcher Madison Martin. The strategy worked against Bowling Green on Feb. 24 when Maryland put up three first inning runs before stalling with runners on base. Martin pitched a one-hit complete game to win, 3-0.
Against the Skyhawks, though, Martin ran into trouble. Tennessee Martin took a 3-2 lead over Maryland in the second inning. Errors from infielder Juli Strange and Ellazar in the second supplied two runs on no hits, adding to one scored in the first.
Maryland’s bullpen also couldn’t limit the Skyhawks. Martin exited the circle in the fourth after giving up a double and a walk. Pitcher Hannah Dewey allowed two earned runs, but an error from Ellazar drove home another unearned. In the following inning, Dewey allowed a two-RBI double to push Tennessee Martin’s lead to 8-2.
Pitcher Lauren Graves, who entered with a 22.24 ERA, supplied perhaps her best outing of the year. But Graves struck out three batters in her 1.1 innings, allowing one hit.
In the second game against Iona (6-4), Graves did not have the same success. Already trailing, 3-0, in the second, Dewey made way for Graves. The freshman gave up a walk to load the bases, and allowed three singles and a sacrifice fly to put Iona up, 7-0.
Like many times this year, the Terps couldn’t cut in the deficit.
Friday, the Terps had two chances with the bases loaded and one out in the third and fourth innings, but Maryland could only push across two runs to slim Iona’s lead to 7-2, stranding five runners in the two innings alone.
In the third, Kufta walked to score Strange, but a foul out and pop up ended the inning. In the fourth, Brashear hit a sacrifice fly to score outfielder Kassidy Cross, but outfielder Destiney Henderson popped out to end the inning.
After a six-run comeback in the seventh against then-No. 24 Missouri last weekend, Maryland made another late rally against Iona. The Terps added two runs against the Gaels in the seventh when Ellazar drove in Kufta with a double, and Dillard doubled to score Ellazar. The flurry of life forced a pitching change, but the Terps couldn’t muster up enough offense.
