Entering the seventh inning with a one-run lead over UT-Martin on Saturday, Maryland softball was adamant on making sure history didn’t repeat itself.
The Terps had been locked in tight games Friday against Fairfield and Stetson, but came up empty-handed in both due to last-inning runs from their opponents. So, with Maryland tied 4-4 with the Skyhawks heading to the bottom of the sixth inning, outfielder JoJo McRae stepped up to the plate with a chance to ignite a rally and reverse the Terps’ bad fortunes from a day earlier.
The sophomore led off the inning with a triple, and infielder Taylor Okada followed up with an at bat characteristic of her season. She struck a single — 22 of her 30 hits entering the day were singles — after going 0-for-7 the day before, and McRae scored the game-winning run.
The Terps’ 5-4 win over UT-Martin, their first of the tournament, and a 3-2 win over Bethune-Cookman, spurred by a three-run sixth inning, lifted Maryland (12-10) to a 2-0 record on the second day of the Stetson Invitational.
The Terps got off to a quick start on offense against the Skyhawks, building an early lead behind an RBI double from infielder Sammie Stefan in the first inning. A sacrifice flyout from right fielder Amanda Brashear and infielder Anna Kufta’s RBI groundout in the second inning extended Maryland’s lead to 3-0.
Both teams struck in the fourth to make it 4-2, but UT-Martin tied the score in the top of the fifth with a two-run homer, forcing coach Julie Wright to make a pitching change. Pitcher Sydney Golden swapped into the circle for Kiana Carr and prevented a comeback similar to Stetson’s the night before with a strikeout to end the game.
In the Terps’ second matchup, neither Maryland nor Bethune-Cookman had a hit through three innings. It wasn’t until the top of the sixth inning that Okada notched Maryland’s first hit of the game.
Two Maryland errors in the fourth inning allowed the Wildcats to take a 2-0 lead, but Maryland didn’t let the self-inflicted wounds bog them down.
Okada and Brashear hit back-to-back singles to start the sixth inning, the first two hits of the game. And though Okada was tagged out at home, shortstop Bailey Boyd worked a walk to load the bases.
Wright elected to use outfielder Shelby Younkin to pinch hit for catcher Gracie Voulgaris, and Younkin drove in all three runners when she forced the Wildcats into a fielding error. The Terps held onto their 3-2 lead for their second win of the day, and are now 2-2 in the tournament.
Maryland will close out the Stetson Invitational on Sunday with a rematch against UT-Martin at 10 a.m.
