Maryland starter Bri Godfrey tossed a complete game the Terps’ 4-1 win over Rutgers last Saturday — their first Big Ten win. She struck out six batters and allowed just one run on four hits.
The junior’s appearance out the bullpen on Sunday was even better, allowing one hit and holding the Scarlet Knights scoreless in five innings.
Looking for that same success against Michigan, Maryland gave the start to the right-hander on Thursday night. But her start went much different.
Godfrey’s first two batters reached first base, one with a hit on an error from second baseman Madison Runyan. She then gave up another hit to freshman Lauren Putz which pulled Maryland into an early two-run deficit. The Terps couldn’t recover or provide any answer.
The Wolverines’ offense dismantled Maryland in their 8-0 shutout loss at Devon Park in Oklahoma City on Thursday. The Big Ten’s leaders in regular season championships looked as good as their history, tallying seven hits in their fourth straight win against the Terps (13-13, 2-2 Big Ten).
[Maryland softball allows season-low 1 hit in 9-0 win over Colgate]
The second inning worsened for Godfrey. The starter conceded a walk and three hits, including two home runs directly over the center field fence. The junior threw 51 pitchers to 11 batters, often working deep into the count before giving up hits.
The second home run — a two-run homer that elapsed Mazie Macfarlane’s glove — ended Godfrey’s campaign in the circle in just 1 ⅔ innings. Keira Bucher stepped in to relieve the junior but wasn’t much assistance, allowing another two-run homer.
Godfrey’s time on the mound this season has been inconsistent. She’s pitched three or more innings in nine of her 15 appearances this season, but also pitched two innings or less in four games. Godfrey’s first year as Maryland’s starter has been a heavy load for the junior, who only pitched two complete games last season.
Bucher’s performance in the third was much stronger as the junior retired the Wolverines’ batters in order in the third. She continued the success across the rest of her appearance, allowing only three hits across 16 batters faced in 3 ⅓ innings. The right-hander put out a batter herself in the fourth, jumping up and snagging a weak drive to the midfield.
[Maryland softball records season-high 15 hits, defeats Rutgers 11-7]
The pitching duo didn’t get much help from their defense. In addition to an early error at second, Maryland failed to secure the out on the game-sealing run at home. Mattie Benson’s throw reached the plate well ahead of Indiana Langford, but catcher Sam Bean missed the tag, allowing the Wolverines to score their eighth run.
Maryland struggled to generate offense against Wolverine pitcher Lauren Derkowski. The senior threw all five innings — striking out four Terps while allowing two hits. Derkowski is mounting an early campaign for Big Ten pitcher of the year with a 1.66 ERA across 83 ⅔ innings.
Maryland’s pair of hits came from Bailey Murphy, the team’s batting average leader. However, the Terps lacked strength from their power hitters. Maryland’s three and four hitters Mattie Benson and Sydney Lewis struck out once, and Bean went down swinging twice in the fifth spot. The three have combined for 55 of the Terps’ 98 RBIs this season.
The Terps will face the Wolverines again on Friday before taking on Purdue in back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday. The pitching challenge won’t get any easier for Maryland, as they next face Purdue’s No. 1 starter, Madi Elish. The senior ranks eighth in the Big Ten with a 2.04 ERA.
