Maryland Takes Two From JMU
4/16/2003 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 16, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Terps (15-13, 0-4 ACC) took two games from the James Madison Dukes (17-22, 4-2 CAA) thanks to clutch hitting by senior first baseman Jillian Callaway (Brandywine, Md.) and the speed of sophomore second baseman Nneka Cardoza (Brockton, Mass.). The Dukes took Maryland nine innings deep in the nightcap of Wednesday's doubleheader. With the score set at nothing apiece, Cardoza led off the inning with a single to right field and went onto steal second base. After consecutive strikeouts, things looked bleak for the Terps until Callaway took the first pitch she saw and delivered with a hard-hit single down the right field line to score Cardoza and secure the team's win.
The pitching tandem of starter Jessica Aditays (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Monica Cyphert (Warren, Ohio) worked out of trouble several times in game two. The Dukes stranded runners in seven innings, leaving a total of eight runners on base during the game. In the third inning, The Dukes had runners on first and third with two outs and Aditays closed out the inning safely with a called strikeout. James Madison threatened again the following inning with runners on first and second with one out. The Terps erased the lead runner after left fielder Natalie Burd hit into a fielder's choice. The following batter, third baseman Kara Schwind, flew out to right field to end the inning and another scoring opportunity for James Madison.
Aditays hurled the first four innings for Maryland, allowing five hits and striking out two. Cyphert (9-7) came on in a relief role for the remaining innings and gave up two hits en route to her second victory of the evening. Dukes' starter Leah Conley (5-11) went the distance, giving up six hits and fanning seven Terps.
Game one saw more Terrapin offense, with the Maryland lineup collecting 10 hits off Dukes' starter Liz George (5-9). The Terps' big inning came in the fifth, where they scored three runs to stake a 4-0 lead. Speedsters Crystal Tweedy (Dumfries, Va.) and Samantha Sweeney (Marlton, N.J.) led off with back-to-back bunt singles. Tweedy then advanced to third on Cardoza's sacrifice fly to left. Sweeney stole second to put two runners in scoring position with one out. Sophomore shortstop Malissa Moczulski (Burlington, N.J.) smacked a single up the middle to drive in both Tweedy and Sweeney. Moczulski advanced to second on a passed ball. Callaway worked some more two-out magic and singled up the middle to drive in Moczulski.
James Madison scored its only runs of the day in the seventh inning off a two-run homer by first baseman Megan Smith. Cyphert sat down seven batters in the complete game win.
Maryland will look to pick up its first ACC win this weekend as it heads to Charlottesville, Va. to take on the Cavaliers of Virginia in a doubleheader Saturday. Virginia (28-19, 1-3 ACC) took last year's only game between the two squads, 3-2. The first game is scheduled to start at noon.
