March 11, 2007

Box Score

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - For the second time in as many games, Maryland defeated the Central Connecticut Blue Devils by the eight run rule, winning Sunday 8-0 on the final day of the Maryland Invitational.

The Terps defeated the Blue Devils twice by a combined score of 19-2, and finished third in the tournament. Shortstop Amber Jackson and outfielder Jenny Belak were named to the all-tournament team.

In the championship game, Louisville defeated Princeton 6-1, and the Cardinals' Courtney Moore was named tournament MVP. Catherine Bishop, last year's Big East pitcher of the year, struck out eight Tiger batters in the game in five innings of work.

For a complete list of results from the Maryland Invitational, click here.

Maryland finished 3-2 on the weekend to improve to 10-10 on the year.

Against Central Connecticut Sunday, Abbey Welch started her first game of the year for the Terps, and earned the win, pitching three complete innings. Welch fanned four batters before taking a line drive to her left shin in the top of the fourth and leaving the game in favor of Meredith Nelles. Welch walked off the field without assistance.

Samantha Keltos (0-2) took the loss of the Blue Devils.

Before the game, Coach Watten decided to tweak her lineup to give some of her starters a rest. Amber Jackson and Lindsay Klein, who have combined for 34 RBIs on the year, both sat to start the game, although Klein see action in the fourth following the injury to Welch.

The changes to the lineup did not seem to hamper Maryland's offense, however. In the second inning Lindsey Ubrun hit a stand-up double which bounced off the right field fence to start things off for the Terps. First baseman Sarde Stewart hit a ground ball single past the shortstop into center field, which drove home Ubrun for the game's first score.

Central Connecticut Coach Mary Roczniak pulled Keltos to start the third, and replaced her with Brittany Salvatore, whom the Terps had victimized for nine hits and seven runs the night before.

Salvatore immediately gave up a base hit to Belak to start off the third, and Belak easily stole second a few pitches later. A ground out by Stacey Jennings moved Belak to third, and Jennifer Wellborn singled through the left side of the defense to bring Belak home.

Keri Lounge then belted a two run homer into the netting beyond left center field, scoring Wellborn, and giving the Terps a 4-0 lead. It was Lounge's third home run of the year.

Facing a 2-2 count in the fifth inning, Wellborn hit a home run of her own to put the Terps up 5-0.

In the sixth, Jennings singled up the middle to bring Belak home for the second time, and a Wellborn single put runners on first and second.

Lounge returned to the plate, and came up big for the Terps again, hitting a walk-off double to end the game by run rule and give Maryland its first shutout of the season.

Jackson finished with an average of .455 and recorded six RBIs in four games. Lounge had four RBIs and five hits in eleven at-bats.

Belak led the Terps with 17 at-bats and finished with an average of .471.

The Maryland Invitational All-Tournament Team:

Rhode Island: Tara Hiteman

Central Connecticut: Alison Rossi

Maryland: Amber Jackson, Jenny Belak

Princeton: Collette Abbott, Kelsey Quist, Jamie Lettire

Louisville: Catherine Bishop, Kristi Cunningham, Brooke McCraine
Tournament MVP - Courtney Moore