March 7, 2009
Box Score
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Pitchers Kerry Hickey and Kendra Knight collaborated on a no-hitter as the University of Maryland softball team opened the Maryland Round Robin in impressive fashion, blanking Dartmouth, 6-0, Saturday afternoon in Richard E. Taylor Stadium.
Hickey pitched the first five innings, striking out 10 of the 17 batters she faced. The Huntingtown, Md., native struck out the side in the first innings and allowed just two baserunners, both on walks, to improve her record to 6-2. Knight, a freshman from Virginia Beach, Va., finished the job by pitching the last two innings, striking out a pair.
The performance marked Maryland's first no-hitter since former Terrapin Abbey Welch pitched a perfect game on March 22, 2006. The Terps limited opponents to a single hit on four occasions last season.
Freshman Michelle Takeda accounted for the Terps' biggest offensive outburst versus Dartmouth, belting a three-run home run over the left field wall during the sixth inning to score Hickey and junior Nadine Blackie and push Maryland's advantage to six runs.
The Terps capitalized on a pair of errors by the Big Green during the second inning. Junior Alex Schultz platted Takeda with a sacrifice fly, and freshman Vangie Galindo singled home senior Devon Williams two batters later.
Maryland, which had two sacrifice flies entering the Round Robin, hit its second in as many innings Saturday, when senior Breanna Shaw drove the ball into the outfield during the third inning. That hit scored Blackie, extending the Terps' lead to 3-0.
During their second game of the afternoon, the Terps fell to Manhattan, 4-2, despite a two-out seventh-inning rally. Freshman Kathy McLaughlin tripled to left field and scored on a single by sophomore Niki Lau. Consecutive singles by Blackie and Hickey produced another run before the comeback bid stalled.
Senior Sarah Dooley took the loss after allowing three earned runs in 2.1 innings while striking out four. Manhattan sophomore Melissa Donnelly picked up her first victory of the season, surrendered both Maryland runs in seven innings of work.
Blackie and Lau tallied four hits apiece for the Terps Saturday. Lau notched one run and one RBI versus Manhattan, and Blackie had her first career triple - and Maryland's first of the season - during the win over Dartmouth.
The Terrapins (7-10) conclude the Maryland Round Robin with a pair of games Sunday. Maryland takes on Gardner-Webb at 11 a.m. and concludes the tournament by playing in either the consolation game or the championship game at 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. Each game of the Maryland Round Robin is free to the public.
Maryland (7-9) 021 030 0 - 6 8 0
Dartmouth (4-3) 000 000 0 - 0 0 3
LOB - Maryland 4; Dartmouth 4. 3B -
Nadine Blackie. HR -
Michelle Takeda. SH -
Breanna Shaw. SF -
Breanna Shaw;
Alex Schultz. SB -
Kerry Hickey; Kirsten Costello. W -
Kerry Hickey (6-2). L - Hillary Barker (1-2).
Maryland (7-10) 000 000 2 - 2 10 0
Manhattan (1-0) 003 100 0 - 4 6 0
LOB - Maryland 8; Manhattan 7. 2B -
Breanna Shaw; Nicole Michel. 3B -
Kathy McLaughlin. HR - Kristina Walraven. HBP - Monica Evangelista. SH - Amanda Berrios. SB - Ashley Rampino. W - Melissa Donnelly (1-0). L -
Sarah Dooley (1-5).
Other Maryland Round Robin Results from Saturday:
Dartmouth 12, Gardner-Webb 3
Gardner-Webb 3, Manhattan 1 (8 innings)
