WEST HARTFORD, CT ? The University of Hartford softball team dropped the final two games of its weekend series against UMBC on Sunday by scores of 1-0 and 8-0 at the UH Softball Field.
UMBC (13-16 overall, 3-0 AE) got strong outings from Stephanie Weigman and Ashley Gray in the circle. The duo held Hartford (11-5 overall, 0-3 AE) to only three hits between the two games. Weigman picked up the win in the opener while Gray earned the victory in the second game, which was called after five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule.
In the first game, Weigman (7-8 overall) threw a one-hitter for the Retrievers and struck out eight over seven innings. Freshman Amanda Singer (4-3 overall) got the start for the Hawks and pitched well, allowing one run on five hits while striking out seven.
The Retrievers scored the only run of the game in the fifth inning with two outs. Shepherd smoked a double into the left field corner and Amanda Fefel followed with a single to left to drive in the run. UMBC threatened again in the seventh, getting the first two runners aboard with nobody out. Singer worked her way out of the jam to keep the Hawks close, getting a fly ball, a strikeout and a pop up to end the threat.
Hartford got the winning run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh after sophomore Rachel Clonick drew a two-out walk. Weigman, however, recovered to strike out her third batter of the frame and seal the victory.
Hartford's lone hit came in the fourth off the bat of sophomore Amanda Sais. The Hawks' best scoring chance came in the fifth when Clonick reached on an error to start the inning. She then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and to third on an infield groundout, but Weigman got out of the inning unscathed by getting a pop up.
In the second game, UMBC broke it open in the fifth. Julia Culotta singled to start the inning, but Hartford pitcher Brittney Stratton retired the next two batters before getting into trouble by issuing a pair of walks. Dana Shepherd made her pay for the mistake, blasting an opposite field grand slam to right field to give the Retrievers a 7-0 lead. Fefel followed with a solo shot to left to make it 8-0 before the Hawks got out of the inning.
UMBC put up its first three runs in the fourth inning, catching a break thanks to a Hartford error to get a runner aboard with one out. Lauren Brummell drove in the run with a double and then scored on a triple by Shepherd. The final run came home on a sacrifice fly by Gray.
Gray (2-4 overall) struck out three and walked one in four innings of work before giving the ball up to Fefel in the fifth. Fefel struck out the first two batters she faced and got the third to ground out to end the game. Stratton (7-2 overall) gave up eight runs--six earned--on 11 hits while striking out three and walking four.
Shepherd went 2-for-4 with five RBI in the game while Brummell and Culotta each also finished with two hits. Sais and freshman Lauren Kamena had hits for the Hawks.
Hartford will next play a doubleheader at Sacred Heart University on Wednesday, April 2 at 3 p.m.
