Maryland
Florida Atlantic (Speedline Invitational)
Terps Stay Steady At .500 With Doubleheader Split
3/6/2003 7:00:00 AM | Softball
March 6, 2003
PLANT CITY, Fla. - The Terps (5-5) split a two-game set in Day One at the Speedline Invitational. Maryland won the first game 5-3 in eight innings against Florida Atlantic (9-10). The Terps dropped their second game 6-2 to Illinois-Chicago (3-12).
Double-threat Monica Cyphert (Warren, Ohio) was a one-woman wrecking crew. Cyphert pitched eight scoreless innings against the Owls, allowing only one hit to centerfielder Ebony Gray through the first seven innings of regulation. The teams headed into extra innings where the international tie-breaker rule was inacted. According to the rule, the batting team places its last batter from the previous inning on second base. Samantha Sweeney (Marlton, N.J.), who was 2-for-4 in the game, was placed on second and advanced to third on a bunt by second baseman Jen Peel (St. Leonard, Md.). Sweeney scored on a squeeze play executed by catcher Casey Leiter (Lake Stevens, Wash.). After a single and a walk loaded the bases, Cyphert drilled her first home run of the season to right center. The grand slam put the Terps on top, 5-0.
FAU battled back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring two runs on a double by Gray and another run on a single by first baseman Pam Mazzarella. Cyphert moves to 2-3 on the season after the complete game win. Owls' pitcher Candice Freel took the lost (5-3).
The Terps took an early lead in the second game. Leiter led off with a walk and Cyphert reached base on an error by third baseman Sara Hernandez. The runners scored on a single up the middle by first baseman Jillian Callaway (Brandywine, Md.) to put the Terps on top 2-0. Both Callaway and Leiter had two hits apiece.
The lead didn't last long, however. The Flames came back to score four runs in the bottom half of the inning and added two more runs in the fifth to insure the 6-2 victory. Junior Liz Gall (Bothell, Wash.) made her first career start in the circle for the Terps. Jessica Aditays (Shrewsbury, Mass.) relieved Gall after two-thirds of an inning. Gall (0-1) received the loss for the Terps, and Brittany McIntyre (2-5) took the win for Illinois-Chicago.
On Friday, Maryland battles No. 23 Oklahoma State (11-5) at 4:00 p.m. and Michigan State (11-3) at 6:00 p.m. in Day Two of the Speedline Invitational.
