March 9, 2012

Box Score

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland softball team beat Princeton 7-3 and Rhode Island 17-7 in five innings Friday in its first two games of its home tournament at Robert E. Taylor Stadium.

Bree Hanafin led the Terps (13-6) at the plate with five hits in seven at-bats, with two doubles, a trible and five RBI. Lexi Carroll also had five hits, while Vangie Galindo had four with six RBI.

Senior Kendra Knight pitched 10.0 innings, including a complete game vs. Princeton, and notched 17 strikeouts with just two earned runs and six hits.

In game one, the Terrapins trailed the Tigers (1-5) 3-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning. Pinch runner Amanda McCann scored on a heads-up play off a Princeton passed ball to tie the game. Galindo scored the go-ahead run off a bunt single. Hanafin doubled to bring in two more runs and Candice Beards scored the final run with a ground out to short.

In the Terps' game vs. Rhode Island (2-9), it was an offensive showdown in the first few innings and Maryland finished with a season-high 18 hits. The Terrapins batted first and scored four runs in the top of the first. Nikki Maier singled to lead off. She eventually scored off an RBI base hit from Hanafin. Beards brought in Hanafin with an infield single. Shannon Bustillos scored her with a single to right for a 4-0 Maryland lead.

Freshman Kaitlyn Schmeiser started in the circle in game two. She allowed three runs off three hits in the bottom of the first.

Hanafin added two more Maryland runs in the top of the second with a bases-clearing triple to right. Beards scored her with a sacrifice fly to make it a 6-3 Maryland lead.

Rhode Island added four runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a brief 7-6 lead.

Lexi Carroll led off the top of the third with a double. Maier scored that run with a groundout to tie the game at seven. Galindo tripled to score two more runs and make it 9-7. She scored herself on a passed ball. After a Rhode Island pitching change, Brards and Kathy McLaughlin each drew walks to load the bases. Bustillos doubled down the leftfield line to score two more. Carroll finished the scoring in the inning with another RBI base hit for a 13-7 Terps lead.

Knight came on to pitch for Schmeiser in the bottom of the third and gave up just one hit in her three innings that game.

Maryland added its final four runs in the top of the fifth. Bustillos led off with a single and Carroll drove in Liana Newton, who pinch ran for Bustillos, with an RBI base hit to left. With runners on the corners, Galindo singled to score both. Hanafin drove in the final run with a double to center to score Galindo.

On Saturday, the Terps will face Princeton at 3 p.m. and Kent State (8-9) at 5 p.m., with a 1:30 p.m. game vs. Kent State Sunday.

Admission and parking are free for all games.

GameTracker live stats will be available throughout the weekend.

Log on to /ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=29700&ATCLID=208129623, for GameTracker links to all games.