Maryland softball collected its first doubleheader sweep with a 3-2 walk-off win against Eastern Illinois in eight innings and a 5-1 win over IUPUI.
Game one was a pitcher’s duel, with both teams entering the fifth inning with only one hit each. In the bottom of the fifth, Maryland took the lead on an RBI double by infielder Brigette Nordberg. Outfielder Amanda Brashear followed up with a single to score Nordberg and push the Terps’ lead to 2-0.
Eastern Illinois came back to tie the game in the top of the seventh on a two-run home run by outfielder Mia Davis.
Outfielder Shelby Younkin started the bottom of the extra inning on second base. A sacrifice bunt moved her over to third, and after a groundout by Nordberg, Brashear singled to first, scoring Younkin and securing the Terps’ first extra-inning victory.
Brashear was the offensive star of the day for the Terps. Including her walk-off, she had three of Maryland’s five hits in game one, and added another two hits in the matchup against IUPUI.
Game two also started slowly for the offenses, with the game remaining scoreless until the fourth inning, when Younkin hit a two-run single to break the deadlock. Maryland (6-12) tacked on a third run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by infielder Taylor Wilson.
IUPUI got a run back in the sixth inning, using a double-steal to cut the Terps’ lead to two.
Maryland added some insurance in the bottom of the inning on an opposite-field two-run triple. Denhart set down the side in order in the seventh to secure Maryland’s second win over IUPUI of the weekend.
