After having surrendered just 14 runs over its previous six games, the Maryland softball team allowed 38 last weekend against Illinois in a three-game sweep. But for the Illini, who boast the Big Ten’s best offense, it wasn’t an unusual explosion.
Perhaps more surprising was the Terps’ inability to respond against a pitching staff that entered the weekend with an ERA of 3.87. Coach Julie Wright’s team put across just three runs total in the three games.
Maryland attributed its issues at the plate to not having enough of an attack mindset, which led to called strikes. The squad hopes to work on its approach on Wednesday in its doubleheader against Saint Francis (PA).
[Read more: Maryland softball loses to Illinois, 20-2, to cap series sweep]
“It wasn’t anything that [Illinois] did,” infielder Skylynne Ellazar said. “We just took a lot of pitches and we didn’t score when we had runners in scoring position.”
Maryland’s offense, which has struggled all season, didn’t manage a run in its first meeting with Saint Francis this year, a 1-0 victory for the Red Flash on Feb. 18.
Wright’s team will need a quick turnaround to improve upon that early-season performance. Against Illinois, the Terps left 17 runners on base, hitting 5-for-28 with runners on and 2-for-19 with runners in scoring position.
“We just went in there and did not play well on any side of the ball,” Wright said. “We’re just looking forward to being at home.”
In its first matchup against Saint Francis, Maryland left six runners on base and three in scoring position, including stranding the tying run on second base in the seventh inning.
Red Flash ace Abby Trahan threw a complete game, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out 10. The Terps will try to adjust against Trahan the second time around.
“We’re just focusing on striking the ball early this time,” Ellazar said. “We took a lot of pitches against them early in the season, so picking the right pitches and hitting them is going to be a big adjustment for us.”
Maryland will also likely see pitcher Adrian Smith in one of the two games. Smith has a 2.76 ERA with five wins in 18 appearances. She and Trahan have combined to throw all of Saint Francis’ innings this season.
The doubleheader will be the Terps’ first set of midweek games. They have only two days rest after the weekend series in Champaign, Illinois. While Wright said the Terps did more non-physical preparation, with film study and walkthroughs, the heart of their approach remained the same.
“Our preparation doesn’t really change,” Ellazar said. “We’re going to go in on Tuesday and attack the things that we need to attack to go into the games on Wednesday.”
