April 8, 2001

Box Score 1, Box Score 2, Box Score 3

FAIRFAX, Va. - A weekend of nearly flawless softball concluded with a Jenn Shellhammer (Slatington, Pa.) 2-0 shutout of the host school as the Maryland softball team (31-13) captured the George Mason Spring Clash title. Maryland's senior hurler took tournament MVP honors, striking out eight Patriots to cap the Terps' 5-0 tournament slate and now school-record 10 game win streak. The Terrapin pitching staff did not allow a single run all weekend long, while Maryland's bats amassed 45 hits in the five games and outscored opponents 35-0.

The Terps actually did achieve perfection early Sunday against area-rival Morgan State, when freshmen Monica Cyphert (Warren, Ohio) and Liz Gall (Bothell, Wash.) combined to strike out nine and retire 15 Lady Bears in a row for the fifth perfect game in school history. All-American Kelly Shipman (1996-99) had tossed the previous four. Meanwhile, Cyphert led the Terps with a career-high tying four RBI as Maryland racked up 12 hits for the 12-0, five-inning victory.

The Terps then faced Radford in the championship semifinal and crushed the Highlanders, 9-0. Maryland's offense, keyed by a two-run, two-RBI performance by Jennifer Potzman (Trexlertown, Pa.), exploded for a season-high tying 13 base hits. Junior fireballer Amanda Bettker (St. Petersburg, Fla.) was once again sensational, whiffing nine in the five-stanza, shortened game to improve her season mark to 10-3.

Maryland met the Patriots for the second time this weekend in the title game, and battled the tourney hosts for the 2-0 win. Junior catcher Beth Radford (Dunkirk, Md.) launched her seventh homer of the year in the second, and a two-out RBI single by Potzman crossed Cyphert in the third to give the Terps their final advantage.

Head coach Gina LaMandre received a tremendous team effort for the duration of the Spring Clash, and several individual performances garnered all-tournament accolades. MVP Shellhammer defeated former school Radford and won in the championship game, totaling 15 strikeouts and allowing only five hits in the two contests. Gall compiled eight strikeouts in four innings of relief work and gave up only one hit. Cyphert fanned five in her perfect game victory and collected three runs, four RBI and her first collegiate triple at the plate. Radford finished the weekend 4-for-9 (.444) with her home run and seven RBI, and in addition, neutralized opponent baserunners from the catcher position. The backstop nailed a pair of runners attempting to steal in the Radford game on Sunday.

The Terps, winners of 16 out of their last 18, are next in action vs. Towson on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. for a single game at home. GMU comes to town on Saturday for a twinbill before Maryland meets its first ACC/SASA rival in Georgia Tech on Sunday at 1 p.m.

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