Maryland softball’s matchup against Maryland Eastern Shore came at the perfect time.
The Terps desperately needed to get back in the win column on Tuesday, reeling off ten straight losses and three series sweep. The Hawks, meanwhile, entered College Park with the lowest RPI in college baseball — exactly 200 spots higher than Maryland’s ranking at No. 109.
Maryland took full advantage, scoring a season-high 19 runs in a dominant 19-0 mercy rule in five innings. It was the most runs the Terps scored since the 2015 season.
During the losing streak, Maryland (16-25, 3-13 Big Ten) had averaged only 2.1 runs per game and scoring one run or fewer in six of those contests. The Terps’ reserve hitters accounted for seven of their 19 hits against the Hawks (3-31, 2-12 MEAC), an encouraging sign of future depth as the roster only has three batters over .300.
While most of the match looked like batting practice, both teams went down in order in the first inning. Second baseman Madison Runyan broke the statement with a single in the second, and catcher Sam Bean followed with a home run to center.
[Maryland softball suffers third straight series sweep in 7-2 loss to Iowa]
Maryland added seven hits and seven runs the next frame, blowing the game open with a ten-run advantage.
The Terps switched the batting over to their reserves in the fourth, where the damage continued. Maryland scored another 10 runs and 11 hits. Freshman Gracie Wilson and junior Gracelyn Solarz both tallied their first career hits.
Right fielder Julia Shearer led Maryland with four runs batted in during the matchup, bringing her season total to 10.
The Hawks threw freshman Kassidy Oneail and sophomore Paris Richards, who allowed eight and 11 runs, respectively. Every pitcher on Maryland Eastern Shore’s roster averages an ERA over eight.
The Hawks offense squared up just a single hit in the matchup against freshman Aubrey Wurst. The freshman got her first start in the circle since March 18 against Colgate. She returned in solid form, striking out the first five batters she faced.
[Maryland softball’s offense stalls in doubleheader losses to Iowa, 6-1 and 9-0]
“My screwball was really working today,” Wurst said. “[I] just go all out on every single pitch.”
Wurst faced struggles in the fifth when she loaded the bases with no outs. But the right-hander worked out of the jam, retiring the next three batters and throwing her 10th and 11th strikeouts of the evening, a new career high.
The Terps only struck out twice against the Hawks, both from outfielder Mazie MacFarlane. The Terps won’t play again for another eight days, but will still have plenty of work to do on their hitting during that time. Maryland has scored the second fewest runs in the Big Ten and have the third worst batting average.
The Terps return to Big Ten play against Penn State on April 25. Maryland have the chance to prove their hitting stunt is a permanent change as the Nittany Lions boast the second-worst team pitching ERA in the Big Ten.
