ThursDAY, may 1, 2014 | SPORTS | The Diamondback
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SOFTBALL
Defense struggles in sweep at Irish Terps fail to make several key plays to support pitchers during series By Kyle Stackpole @kylefstackpole Staff writer After the Terrapins softball team suffered a mercyrule loss in Game 1 against No. 21 Notre Dame on Sunday, the Terps tried to avoid the same fate in the fifth inning of the series finale Monday night. With the bases loaded and two outs, the Fighting Irish had a seven-run cushion and needed one run to reach the eight-run threshold that would cut the game short. When the ball sprung off Fighting Irish catcher Cassidy Whidden’s bat and toward the foul line near third base, infielder Juli Strange sprinted from shortstop to try to make the catch and end the inning. The ball bounced off a sliding Strange’s glove, h oweve r, a n d fe l l o n to the grass at Melissa Cook Stadium. Later in the inning, Whidden’s RBI single gave
INFIELDER JULI STRANGE has played shortstop since Lindsey Schmeiser’s injury. She’s part of a defense that has committed 54 errors on the season. alik mcintosh/the diamondback Notre Dame a 9-1 win. Strange was not charged with an error on the play, but the Terps missed an opportunity to make a crucial play and get out of the inning. That was a common theme during Notre Dame’s three-game sweep, in which Watten was unpleased with the Terps performance behind their pitchers. “We weren’t playing defensively the way we needed to play,” coach Laura Watten said. In Game 2 of the series, the Terps (8-35, 4-16 ACC) j u m p e d o n No t re Da m e (34-10, 13-5) early and held a 5-3 lead in the fifth inning. But after outfielder and No. 3 hitter Emilee Koerner reached on infielder Corey Schwartz’s error to start the
inning, the Fighting Irish plated five runs and took the lead for good. “That was a crucial error at second base,” Watten said. “That was their best hitter, and [pitcher] Kaitlyn [Schmeiser] got her to hit a ground ball, and we didn’t play defense.” I n j u r i e s h ave fo rce d Watten to tinker with her defense this season. On the right side of the infield, Candice Beards played first base after infielder Mandy Gardner, who started 29 games last season, suffered a concussion in early March. Strange, Schwartz and outfielder Kylie Datil received time at second base early in the
season before Schwartz earned the permanent nod. On the left side, Strange played third base to start the season because of injuries to infielder Jessica Warner and moved to shortstop after infielder Lindsey Schmeiser tore her meniscus April 16, ending her season. These defensive substitutions have taken a toll on the Terps, who have committed 54 errors, the second-most in the ACC. The Terps’ .952 fielding percentage is also the secondworst in the conference. The Terps pitchers struggled against the Fighting Irish, but defensive miscues also contributed to the 26 runs the staff allowed in three games. So when the pitchers step into the circle this weekend in the Terps’ final series of the season, Watten said she hopes they’ll have a bit more support. “We need to be able to make plays behind our pitchers,” Watten said. kstackpoledbk@gmail.com
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third baseman mike rescigno hit an RBI single up the middle in the eighth inning of a loss to James Madison, the Terps’ fourth consecutive defeat. rebecca rainey/the diamondback
OFFENSE From PAGE 10 it used eight pitchers to shut down the Terps. No Dukes pitcher threw more than two innings, but they held the Terps without an extra base hit in the game. First baseman LaMonte Wade said the Terps rely on one another to share information they notice when they face a new pitcher. The Terps, though, couldn’t generate enough offense to challenge James Madison on Tuesday. “It’s kind of hard, but you just got to get help from the scouting reports,” said Schmit, who went 2-for-3, was hit by two pitches and scored one run scored. “We couldn’t put together quality at-bats.” The Terps’ performance Tuesday came after Boston College swept the Terps this weekend and held Szefc’s team to seven runs over three games. The Eagles entered the series with a 4.18 ERA that ranked second-to-last in the ACC, but the Terps scored two runs or fewer in two of the three losses.
While the Terps’ offense has sputtered against ACC pitching staffs ranked in the bottom of the conference in ERA, it usually has pounded nonconference opponents. Before Tuesday’s loss, the Terps were hitting .284 and averaging 6.5 runs per game against nonconference teams, and they had scored in double digits in six games outside of league play. But the Terps have scored three or fewer runs in three of their past five nonconference games and suffered a loss in each of those three contests. Those losses have damaged the team’s chances of making the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1971. Szefc’s attempt to jolt a dormant offense provided a brief moment of hope Tuesday, but the Terps don’t want to rely on late substitutions to score runs in an attempt to revive their postseason aspirations. “We’ve just got [to] keep working on [our offense],” Wade said. “Stick with our plan, lock in and get back in the groove.” psuittsdbk@gmail.com
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Terps face Midshipmen on Senior Day Senior staff writer Daniel Popper previews the final regular-season game at Byrd Stadium for the team’s nine seniors, including long pole Michael Ehrhardt (above).
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