March 8, 2005
MARYLAND (4-6, 0-0 ACC) vs. UMES (0-2, 0-0 MEAC)
March 9, 2005 | 2 p.m.
Terrapin Softball Complex (1,200) | College Park, Md.
Game Notes | Gametracker
The University of Maryland softball team opens its home schedule at the Terrapin Softball Complex Wednesday at 2 p.m. with a doubleheader against Maryland-Eastern Shore. The Terps are coming off of a 3-2 weekend at the Red and Black Challenge at the University of Georgia, where they posted an impressive come-from-behind victory over the No. 13 Bulldogs. Gametracker for Wednesday's games is available at www.umterps.com.
NOTING THE TERRAPINS
Maryland (4-6, 0-0 ACC) won three games at Georgia's Red and Black Challenge last weekend, earning victories over UNC Greensboro, Oakland and No. 13/17 Georgia. For the second time in as many tournaments, the Terps advanced to the championship game and faced a ranked team. The Terrapins got an impressive 5-4 victory over the host Bulldogs on the second day of competition, as sophomore pitcher Abbey Welch got her third complete game victory of the year and Jenny Belak drove in the game-winning run.
Lindsay Klein and Crystal Tweedy continue to pace the Terps offensively, as Klein opened the year with a nine-game hit streak and is hitting a team-high .364, while Tweedy is batting .333 through 10 games and is second on the team with eight hits.
Maryland is 9-1 all-time in home openers, and has not lost its first home game of the season since the program's inaugural season in 1995.
Recapping the Red and Black Challenge
After entering the weekend in Athens, Ga., with a 1-4 overall record that included a win over Missouri, the Terrapins collected three wins en route to a second-place finish at the Red and Black Challenge on the campus of the University of Georgia.
Facing its third opponent that was either ranked or receiving votes in the Top 25 polls, the Terrapins rallied from a two-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning and defeated No. 13/17 Georgia in the final game of tournament pool play.
Although Maryland fell in the championship game, 5-0, to the host Bulldogs, several performances stood out over the five-game weekend. First baseman Lindsay Klein continued her productivity at the plate, as she hit her first home run of the season (seventh of her career) against Georgia and saw her hit streak conclude at an impressive nine games. For the tournament, Klein tallied a team-high five hits and three RBI. Left fielder Crystal Tweedy also stood out in Athens, as the senior led the team with a .308 batting average, hit a triple and knocked in two runs. Both Klein and Tweedy are two of five Terrapin starters who have played 10 errorless games this year.
In all, the Terps scored 20 runs over five games, and were led by Klein, Nneka Cardoza, Rachel Greyson, and Keri Lounge, as each had three RBIs for the weekend.
FRESH FACES
Head coach Gina LaMandre's squad welcomes seven new faces in 2005. Freshmen Jenny Belak, Meghan Booth, Medley McGuire and Whitney Reigel are the Terps' class of 2008, while sophomore Abbey Welch joins the program from Longwood University and juniors Nikki Smith and Crystal Crews come to College Park from Indian River Community College in Fort Pierce, Fla.
Welch (3-2) has made an immediate impact, as the versatile sophomore has seen time at pitcher and in the outfield. The La Plata, Md., native gave the Terrapins their first victory of the year with an outstanding pitching performance against Missouri (Feb. 19). She notched two more victories at the Red and Black Challenge against UNC Greensboro (March 4) and then-No. 13/17 Georgia (March 5). Welch has tallied 14 strikeouts through 10 games.
Smith has started eight of the Terps' first 10 games behind the plate and hit her first career home run on Feb. 19 vs. Penn State.
Belak has seen extensive action in the outfield and had her first career RBI in the Terps' 3-2 win over Missouri on Feb. 19. The rookie leads the team with four runs scored and hit the game-winning single against Georgia on March 4.
TURTLES IN NAME ONLY
Speedy freshman Jenny Belak has stolen three bases for the Terrapins this year, while Nneka Cardoza is 2-for-3 for stolen bases.
The Terps had 25 stolen bases in 2004 and have already tallied six this season.
SCOUTING UMES
UMES enters Wednesday's showdown with a 0-2 record after most recently dropping two games to Drexel (14-2 and 12-4) on March 6 at Hawks Field in Princess Anne, Md.
Leading the Hawks offensively is Marlee Johnson and Jennifer Wilson. Johnson is batting .500 with two hits and two runs, while Wilson has a .400 batting average with two doubles and an RBI. Pitchers Christina Mason (0-1) and Kristen Greenwood (0-1) have earned the Hawks' first two starts of the year.
Kirkland J. Hall is in his first year as head coach of Maryland-Eastern Shore.
Maryland leads the all-time series with UMES, 10-1, including a 9-0 victory in College Park last season.
LAST TIME OUT: No. 13/17 GEORGIA 5, MARYLAND 0
Despite defeating 13th-ranked Georgia the day before to advance to the championship game of the Red and Black Challenge, the Terrapin softball team fell in the rematch, dropping a 5-0 decision to the Bulldogs on March 6, 2005.
Georgia jumped out to an early 2-0 lead off of four hits, including doubles by Courtney Knight and Jessica Doucette. The Bulldogs added a run in the top of the fourth inning and two in the sixth to increase their lead to 5-0.
Georgia pitcher Michelle Green (6-2) was working a no-hitter until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Terp catcher Nikki Smith led off with a single through the left side. After a Terrapin strikeout, Crystal Tweedy slapped an infield single to third base, but the Bulldogs were able to end the inning with another strikeout and a foul out.
The threat in the sixth inning was the last scoring chance for the Terrapins, as they fell by a final score of 5-0. Terp first baseman Lindsay Klein, despite reaching base in the seventh inning on an error by Georgia third baseman Jessica Doucette, failed to notch a hit and saw her nine-game hit streak snapped. Abbey Welch was charged with the loss for the Terps and her record went to 3-2 on the year, while Green improved to 6-2.
For the five games of the tournament, the Terps were led by Crystal Tweedy (.308 BA, 2 RBI), Lindsay Klein (1 HR, 5 hits, 3 RBI) and Nneka Cardoza (.286 BA, 3 R, 3 RBI).
ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS: OUR HOUSE
The Terrapins' 2005 schedule is highlighted by being selected to host the ACC Softball Tournament from May 12-15. The Terrapin Softball Complex, now in its third full season as the home of the Terps, will provide an outstanding facility for the conference tournament.
TERPS PICKED SIXTH IN PRESEASON POLL
As determined by a preseason vote of the league's head coaches, the Terrapins were picked to finish sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Florida State was tabbed the preseason favorite, followed by Georgia Tech and North Carolina.
CALLAWAY RETURNS TO MARYLAND AS ASSISTANT COACH
Former Terrapin infielder Jillian Callaway, a 2003 University of Maryland graduate, joined the staff of her former team as an assistant coach in August 2004. A standout for the Terrapin softball team from 1999-2003, Callaway finished her career on Maryland's all-time top 10 list for games played (195) and started (189), hits (128) and RBI (63).
Callaway joins former teammate Michelle Burrell on head coach Gina LaMandre's staff. Burrell, a 2001 Maryland graduate, was an outstanding outfielder for the Terps from 1998-2001 and is in her fourth season as an assistant coach.
EMAIL STRAIGHT TO YOU
If you would like the latest Maryland softball news sent directly to you as soon as it breaks, email softball contact Amy Mulligan at mulligan@umd.edu with "Softball Email" as the subject and you will automatically receive every update on the team.
