March 19, 2005

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland softball team won two games on the opening day of the Maryland Invitational at the Terrapin Softball Complex Saturday, defeating Mount St. Mary's and Binghamton. The Terps won their first home game of the season for the 10th-consecutive year by overpowering the Mountaineers, 5-1, and got five RBIs from five different players to top Binghamton, 5-3. Maryland concludes pool play in the tournament Sunday at noon with a matchup against Columbia. The consolation and championship games of the Maryland Invitational will be played Sunday at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.

In the second session of the day, Columbia defeated Mount St. Mary's, 4-1, and then fell to Binghamton, 3-2. The Terrapins remain the only unbeaten team at the Maryland Invitational.

The Terps jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning against Mount St. Mary's, as Lindsay Klein had an RBI single and Lauren Pollock doubled to the gap in left center to drive in three more runs. Klein finished the game 2-for-4 and tallied her seventh RBI of the season, while Pollock's double was her first of the year.

Freshman Jenny Belak put together the first multi-hit game of her career, registering singles in the second and fourth innings, and Maryland added an insurance run in the top of the seventh to take a 5-0 lead.

Senior pitcher Jessica Aditays had a no-hitter until the sixth inning and picked up her second win of the year to even her record at 2-2. Junior Abbey Welch pitched a strong seventh inning after entering the game with the bases loaded and getting the last two outs of the game for her first save.

In the Terps' second game of the day vs. Binghamton, they again got on the board early after an RBI single by Keri Lounge in the first inning. Third baseman Crystal Rizzuto made it a 2-0 lead with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning, scoring Meghan Booth for her second RBI of the year.

Shortstop Nneka Cardoza led off the Terrapins' seventh inning with a solo home run, her first of the year (sixth of her career). After a Terrapin groundout, Crystal Tweedy stepped to the plate and knocked a double to left-center field. The next batter, Lindsay Klein, hit a single up the middle to score Tweedy and extend the Terrapins' lead to 4-0. Binghamton put in a new pitcher at that point, Chrissy Semon for Katie Hansen, but Maryland's hitting success continued with a Nikki Smith double that scored Klein.

The Bearcats staged a comeback in the bottom of the seventh, scoring three runs on four hits, but fell short as the final score was 5-3. Abbey Welch got her second save of the day while Crystal Crews (1-2) picked up the win.

Smith, Tweedy and Cardoza all had multi-hit games vs. the Bearcats, and the Terps tallied 11 hits.

Maryland (9-8) finishes tournament pool play Sunday at noon when they face Columbia. The Maryland Invitational consolation and and championship games will follow. All games are played at the Terrapin Softball Complex, admission is free.