March 11, 2000

Tampa, Fla. - The Maryland softball squad dropped a 2-0 decision to Connecticut in the final game of pool play at the Speedline Invitational Tournament, finishing the weekend 1-4. Solid pitching by sophomore Amanda Bettker (St. Petersburg, Fla.) wasn't enough as the Terrapins (10-10) suffered their fourth straight loss.

Bettker (4-5) scattered three hits and fanned five in the defeat, her seventh complete game of the season. The contest was scoreless until the fifth inning, when UConn's Megan Biddle walked and advanced to third on a bloop single by Katie Kestranek. Bethany Watrous scored Biddle on a sacrifice fly. With two outs, Connecticut's Jessica Yanosy rapped an RBI-single to give the Huskies the final 2-0 advantage.

Maryland's best chance to score came in the fourth, when base hits by juniors Annmarie Browne (Lansdale, Pa.) and Michelle Burrell (Owego, N.Y.) set up a second-and-third situation.

The Terps return to softball action March 17-19 when they once again head south for the Lady Seminole Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla. Pool play will feature match-ups with Bethune-Cookman, Northern Iowa and Virginia Tech. Championship bracket play begins Saturday and lasts all day Sunday.

Game Linescore
Maryland	000 000	0 - 0 2 0
Connecticut	000 020	x - 2 3	0
Maryland: Amanda Bettker and
Beth Radford.
Connecticut: Barbara Cook and
Jamine Blesoff.
Winning Pitcher - Cook (5-2).
Losing Pitcher - Bettker (4-5).
Doubles: None. Triples: None.
Home Runs: None.

Contact: Mark Fratto
301-314-7064 (phone)
301-314-9094 (fax)
301-314-TERP (Fan Phone)
fratto@wam.umd.edu