Aubrey Wurst allowed no hits across five innings when Maryland faced Delaware four weeks ago. The freshman’s strong performance in March, paired with a scoreless outing in her last start against Maryland Eastern Shore, earned Wurst her ninth career start as the Terps returned from seven days off.
Things started out rocky for Wurst on Wednesday. Delaware’s leadoff batter nearly went yard on the right-hander’s third pitch, just missing the top of the fence. A walk and another hit gave Delaware an early lead with just one out.
Then Wurst settled down, retiring seven straight batters and not allowing another run. Wurst’s strong outing pushed Maryland to an 11-1 mercy rule win at Delaware Softball Stadium.
Wurst, who struck out a season-high 10 batters in her previous matchup, only fanned two against Delaware (31-14). Instead, she let the Blue Hens swing while trusting her defense with the putouts behind her.
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The Terps (17-25) backed their pitcher up in the batter’s box, scoring 11 runs on nine hits. Sam Bean rocketed her seventh homer of the season and Lewis picked up another three RBIs, increasing her total to 33. Maryland was aggressive on the base paths as well, taking advantage of Delaware’s three errors.
After scoring two runs to start the third, the Blue Hens made a pitching change to Josie Crossman. But Maryland kept finding gaps in the infield, adding another two in the inning from fielder’s choices.
Lewis’ third RBI in the fifth inning with the bases loaded earned Maryland its ninth run, putting the game in run-rule territory. Maryland added another two runs from there, and Delaware had no response when Wurst returned to the circle.
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Coach Lauren Karn figured Wurst may have an “up and down” year as the freshman learned to trust herself at a higher level. The Florida native has lasted two innings or less in three of her past eight starts.
But Karn kept Wurst in for the entire game on Wednesday, even when her stamina faltered in the final two innings and she walked two batters.
Wurst rewarded her coach, pushing through to one final putout and completing the season sweep for Maryland. Her 3.68 ERA now ranks best across the Maryland pitching staff.
Conference play continues for the Terps on Friday against Penn State — their final home series of the season. Only 1 ⅔ of Wurst’s 45 ⅔ innings this season have come in Big Ten matchups, as junior Keira Bucher has stepped into an unexpected starting role. But Wurst’s performances of late have shown promise as her freshman season winds down.
