Maryland Softball Prepares For Doubleheader Against Mount St. Mary's

March 31, 2004

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland softball team will begin a four-game home stand Thursday, April 1. Maryland will play a doubleheader against Mount St. Mary's this Thursday and will take on Brown in a doubleheader Friday. Both doubleheaders will begin at 5 p.m. Admission and parking at the Terrapin Softball Complex is free to all fans. Fans unable to attend the game can catch the play-by-play on GameTracker at www.umterps.com.

LAST TIME OUT

The Terps are coming off the four-game Terrapin Invitational, which was hosted at the Terrapin Softball Complex this past weekend, March 27 and 28. The Terps had exciting finishes in all four of their games.

The Terps started out the weekend against Pittsburgh. The Terps were trailing the Panthers 6-3 going into the top of the seventh. Maryland tied up the game with the help of Lindsay Klein's (Orange, Calif.) two-RBI single and Lauren Pollock's (Severna Park, Md.) sacrifice fly. Shortstop Nneka Cardoza (Brockton, Mass.) delivered the final blow, blasting a three-run homer that sealed a 9-6 victory for Maryland.

In Saturday's second game, Maryland and Columbia fought it out into extra innings. With the score tied 4-4 in the ninth, freshman second baseman Keri Lounge (Pasadena, Md.) knocked a double to drive home the winning run.

The Terps had another extra-inning affair in Sunday's first game against Delaware State. Maryland was down, 3-1, in the fifth when Lounge's two run homer powered them back to a tied ball game. The contest went into the eighth inning and ended on Natalie Grossman's (Skillman, N.J.) RBI-single to center field.

After going 3-0 in preliminary tournament action, the Terrapins moved into the championship game for a rematch with Pittsburgh. The Terrapins were up 1-0 heading into the seventh inning. With two Panthers' runners in scoring position and no outs, reliever Monica Cyphert (Warren, Ohio) came into the game to get two quick outs on a pop up and a strike out. The Terrapins lost the game a batter later on a fielding miscue that allowed both baserunners to score, giving Maryland a 3-1 loss.

SCOUTING MOUNT ST. MARY'S

The Mount of Mount St. Mary's enters today's game with a 7-12 record. The Mount traveled to Towson, Md. to face off against the Tigers. The Tigers dealt the Mount a 6-1 loss.

The Mount's offense is led by senior second baseman Jen Sansevero, who sports a .294 batting average. She also tops the team in hits with 15. Mount St. Mary's biggest threat on the base paths is sophomore Sarah Ramsburg. She has swiped 10 bases in all of her attempts this year.

The pitching rotation consists of all underclassmen: freshman Jamie Johnson, sophomore Maria Lutz and freshman Reanna Tuczynski. Johnson, who leads the staff with a 2.93 ERA, was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week honors for the week of March 22-28. She led the Mount to two shutout victories, one against Maryland-Eastern Shore and the other against Quinnipiac.

FRESH FACES

Freshmen Klein and Lounge have made an instant impact since joining the Terrapins this season. Both players are among the top ten hitters in the ACC. Lounge has the fourth-best average at .363; the three players ranked in front of her are seniors. Klein, who is batting .344, is ranked tenth in the conference.

Not only do the rookies lead their teammates in RBI, but they also are among the league leaders. Klein's 26 RBI rank her fifth in the league, while Lounge's 23 RBI place her tenth in the league.

Lounge's .615 slugging percentage is third in the ACC, putting her behind Georgia Tech senior and All-ACC selection Tara Knudsen and North Carolina senior Emily Price.

QUALITY LEATHER

The Terrapins are currently tied with North Carolina for an ACC-best .967 fielding percentage.

Maryland has turned nine double plays this season, which already bests last year's total of six.

Maryland Softball Prepares For Doubleheader Against Mount St. Mary's

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