March 10, 2007
Princeton Box Score |
Photo Gallery 
Central Connecticut Box Score
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
After a disappointing 4-1 loss to Princeton in day two of the Maryland Invitational, the Terrapins took out their frustration on Central Connecticut, beating the Blue Devils 11-2. The game ended after the fifth inning, by virtue of the eight run rule.
Maryland (9-10) finished third in the round-robin portion of the tournament, and will play Sunday at 11 a.m. against the winner of Sunday's early game between Central Connecticut and Rhode Island.
For the complete Maryland Invitational Schedule and tournament results, click here.
Seven different players scored runs for Maryland against the Devils, and three Terrapins recorded home runs. Meredith Nelles fanned five batters and walked none to earn the win and improve to 6-3.
Amber Jackson walked in the Terps' first at-bat, and Jenny Belak followed that up with a single to left field, to quickly place runners on first and second for the Terps. After a pop-up by Stacey Jennings, Lindsay Klein stepped up the plate.
On the first pitch, Jackson sprinted towards third base, the throw from catcher Pam Shifrin sailed well beyond the reach of the third baseman's glove, and Jackson raced home for the game's first score. Klein then hit a single through the left side of the Devil defense to bring home Belak who had advanced to third behind Jackson, and the Terps had a 2-0 lead.
Belak and Klein found themselves in a similar situation in the third inning with one out on the board. Belak ripped a ball to right center, to start off the inning. The ball ricocheted off the fence, falling just shy of Belak's first career home run, but the speedy junior sprinted around the bases to earn a triple instead. Two batters later, Klein hit a home run well beyond the left field fence to give the Terps a 4-0 lead.
Jackson and Jennifer Wellborn would join the home run derby in the fourth inning, as they both smashed balls over the center field fence. Jackson's homer brought home Devon Williams as well, to give Maryland a commanding 7-0 lead.
The Terps were far from finished, however. Stacey Jennings scored later in the fourth off an Alex Schultz single, and Jackson brought home two more runs in the fifth with a single to right field. She had four RBIs on the day, bringing her season total to a whopping 22.
Central Connecticut's Alison Rossi drove home two runs with a double to the right field wall in the fifth inning to get the Devils on the board.
The Terrapins' dominating performance was nearly a complete opposite of their earlier game, a 4-1 loss to Princeton, which hinged on good pitching and defense for much of the contest.
The Tigers and Terps were scoreless through four innings, until Princeton's Kelsey Quist hit a double down the left field line in the fifth inning to break open the game. Her timely hit brought home Stephanie Steel, who had reached on a fielding error by Alex Schultz at second base, and Collette Abbott who had singled into the middle of the Terps' defense, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
Maryland's best chance came in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jenny Belak hit a single past third base, and Princeton's Kristen Schaus proceeded to walk both Whitney Reigel and Lindsey Ubrun to load the bases for Maryland with only one out on the board.
Freshman Alex Schultz hit a shallow fly ball into right field, and Brianna Moreno made an excellent throw towards home to catch the speedy Belak at the plate for the double play. Princeton scored two more runs in the seventh behind a Kathryn Welch two RBI double to extend the lead to 4-0.
Jennifer Wellborn hit a double into left center field to get on base, and Abbey Welch drove her home with a double of her own to help Maryland avoid the shutout. Devon Williams came in to run for Amber Jackson after Jackson walked, and suddenly the Terps were in position to tie the game.
The Maryland rally would fall short, however. On the next play, Tiger shortstop Jackie Araneo picked up a ground ball from Belak and flipped it to third base to get Welch out, and Whitney Reigel struck out in the Terps last at-bat to end any hope of a Terrapin comeback.
Jennings struck out five Tigers, but fell to 3-7 on the year. Schaus also struck out five to improve to 2-2.
