For the second day in a row, Maryland softball overcame poor offense to split a doubleheader in the Hawaii tournament. The Terps beat North Dakota, 2-1, before losing to No. 4 Tennessee for the second time this weekend, 10-0.
North Dakota outhit Maryland, 6-2, and Maryland didn’t record its first hit until the fifth inning. In the fifth, the Terps used a walk, a sacrifice and an error to push across their first run. Catcher Anna Kufta then recorded Maryland’s first hit, an RBI single to make it 2-0.
North Dakota came close to tying the game in the seventh, loading the bases with one out and getting one run in on a groundout. Starter Ryan Denhart recorded another groundout to end the game and seal the win.
Denhart threw her fifth complete game of the year, allowing six hits, walking two and striking out six.
Maryland played from behind right away in game two, as Tennessee scored on an RBI single off starter Sydney Golden four batters into the game. The Volunteers added two more in the third on shortstop Meghan Gregg’s home run and a double steal.
Golden allowed ten hits and five walks, but showed an ability to escape jams, stranding nine baserunners.
Golden exited with one out in the seventh inning with the Terps down 4-0. Reliever Lauren Graves issued four walks and allowed one inherited run and five runs of her own, as Tennessee put the game out of reach with a six-run seventh. This was Graves’ third straight appearance where she walked multiple batters and didn’t record an out.
Tennessee’s pitching dominated Maryland, with starter Matty Moss and reliever Caylan Arnold combining to allow three hits and two walks while striking out 11.
