COLLEGE PARK, MD. - With a 5-4 walk-off win Maryland softball ended its series against Michigan State on Saturday by taking both games of their doubleheader, taking the series 3-1 overall. In game one, Maryland tied their season high 11 hits.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- GAME 1
- Senior pitcher Jennifer Brann started out hot for the Terps, striking out Michigan State's first two batters, and assisted with the putout to bring Maryland up to the plate
- The Spartans went down in order following a quiet Maryland offense in the bottom of the first
- After a Gracie Voulgaris walk, freshman Jaeda McFarland tripled down the middle to bring Voulgaris back around and put the Terps up on the board first
- A single from JoJo McRae allowed McFarland to come back home, putting Maryland up two runs after the second inning of play
- The Terps had great defense in the top of the third, taking down MSU's three batters in the outfield
- Maryland then recorded another three runs on three hits from Campbell Kline, Voulgaris, and Taylor Liguori to extend the Terps' lead to 5-0
- The Spartans answered back with a run of their own in the following frame, but Maryland did the same after a triple from Kline sent Regan Kerr from second to home to keep up the five run lead throughout the rest of the game
- GAME 2
- Maryland set the tone for game two after sending the Spartans down in order for their first appearance
- Hits from Kerr and Kline got Maryland on the board first in the bottom of the second 2-0
- Michigan State put up three runs on four hits in the top of the second to take over the lead 3-2, their first since their 2-0 lead of the first game in the series (4/09/21)
- After a quiet Maryland offense, the Spartans recorded another run in the top of the third to extend their lead to 4-2
- The Terps didn't back down, with freshman Michaela Jones notching a homer over the left field fence (her second of her career), to bring Maryland within one in the bottom of the fourth
- A double from McRae and a single from Ligouri brining McRae back around tied things up at four-a-piece
- Both sides couldn't get anything going in the fifth and sixth frames, sending the last game of the series into the seventh all tied up
- MSU threatened with a runner getting to third, but a double play from the Terps ended their chances
- In the bottom of the seventh, McFarland tripled to right field on a 0-1 count to put Maryland one step closer to home
- After Okada and Trinity Schlotterbeck were intentionally walked, a sacrifice fly from Haley Ellefson gave McFarland the opportunity to make it home just in time to give Maryland the 5-4 walk-off win to take the game and series
UP NEXT
Maryland softball will travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan to face the Wolverines in a four game series April 16-18.