Softball Sweeps UMBC To Stay Perfect In Conference Play
BOX ONE I BOX TWO
BALTIMORE – After a stretch of rough weather cancelled the University at Albany softball team's midweek tests and shortened the weekend's America East Conference series with UMBC to two games, the Great Danes swept Sunday's doubleheader against the Retrievers, 6-2 and 5-1. With the pair of victories, UAlbany improved to 21-8 overall and 7-0 in conference play, while UMBC fell to 16-23 on the season and 1-7 in the America East.
“Coming into the weekend we were a little concerned about the layoff with our midweek game cancelled and not really getting an opportunity to practice outside,” said Head Coach Chris Cannata. “But Devin and Celeste did a great job keeping a big hitting UMBC team off balance. Maggie, Liz, and Donna all had clutch hits and big offensive days for us, and drove in the majority of our runs.”
With a no-hitter going into the sixth inning of game one, sophomore hurler Devin Durando (12-3) earned the win, allowing two runs and four hits, while striking out a season-high 11.
Junior Liz Snow led UAlbany at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI double and a home run, while sophomore Donna Conrad went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and a triple.
The Great Danes took control from the start, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on Lindsey Haskell's RBI single through the right side that plated Conrad.
In the third, UAlbany took a 4-0 advantage on a trio of big hits. Freshman McKenzie Bump reached on a fielding error to start the frame and scored on senior Maggie Cocks' triple to right-centerfield. Snow followed with an RBI double to the left-centerfield gap and Conrad capped the inning with a two-out run-scoring triple to right.
Snow made it 5-0 in the fifth with a leadoff homer over the left field fence, marking her sixth blast of the season.
In the top of the seventh, the Danes stretched the margin to six runs as junior Mackenzie Cleary drew a two-out walk, stole second, and scored on Conrad's RBI single to left-centerfield.
UMBC finally got the bats going in the bottom of the seventh, stringing a pair of doubles together to spoil Durando's shutout. With two outs, Tori Alexander lined an RBI single to right to make the score 6-2, but that would be the Retrievers' final run as Cocks recorded the final out at shortstop for the win.
Nicole Casagrand (1-5) took the loss for UMBC, allowing four earned runs and eight hits, while striking out two in seven frames.
In game two, freshman pitcher Celeste Verdolivo (8-3) followed in Durando's footsteps, holding UMBC to just one run and five scattered hits, while striking out two in the complete-game victory.
UAlbany racked up 11 hits in the nightcap led by Cocks' 4-for-4 performance, including a pair of doubles, and Snow's 3-for-4 effort with three runs batted in and also two doubles.
The Great Danes struck first in the top of the third as Cocks lined a two-out single down the left field line and Snow brought her home with a double to right.
The Retrievers' Bridget O'Malley got the run back with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the fourth, but that ended up being UMBC's lone run of the game.
In the fifth, Cocks, Snow and Cleary ripped three straight doubles to give UAlbany the lead for good, 3-1.
The Danes tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh, as Bump led off with a single to right and scored on Cocks' double to left-centerfield. Snow capped the frame with an RBI single up the middle for a 5-1 advantage.
UMBC's Jessic Holte (8-10) took the loss, allowing five runs and 11 hits in seven innings of work.
“With our conference bye weekend coming, we need to keep sharp in our non-conference games and keep moving in the right direction,” said Cannata.
Up next, the Great Danes take an eight-game break from America East play, traveling to take on Cornell for two on Wednesday, Siena for two Thursday, and Coppin State for four over the weekend.
