2008 Woodie Awards
Softball pushes winning streak to nine
Jeff Newman
Issue date: 3/3/08 Section: Sports
Kerry Hickey stepped to the plate against Florida A&M with a chance to win the game and extend the Terrapin softball team's winning streak to nine games. Senior first baseman Sarde Stewart had already singled home freshman outfielder Niki Lau to tie the game up and at least guarantee extra-innings.
But Hickey's walk-off home run down the left-field line not only won the game 6-4, it also provided the freshman pitcher another highlight only 13 games into her collegiate career.
"I knew when it left my bat that I got a pretty good piece of it," Hickey said. "I heard the players and my coaches screaming, so I was pretty sure it was over. As long as Sarde scored, that was all that mattered."
The next day, in a scoreless game, an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning of the University of Central Florida Knight Games Tournament championship against UCF proved to be Hickey's second game-winning hit of the weekend and gave the Terps the tournament crown, 1-0. Prior to Saturday's game against Florida A&M, the Terps opened the tournament with two wins on Friday against Villanova, 4-0, and Vermont, 7-1.
Hickey leads the team in batting average (.442), slugging percentage (.721), hits (19), home runs (2) and RBIs (15), and she has been a major factor in the team's ten-game winning streak.
"Kerry's just clutch," said coach Laura Watten. "She just steps in and produces crucial runs at crucial times. She's a competitor and nothing affects her."
Hickey has also made significant contributions as a member of the pitching staff, which has carried the Terps throughout the early part of the season. Junior pitchers Sarah Dooley and Meredith Nelles collectively pitched 25 of 28 innings over the weekend without allowing an earned run while recording 19 strikeouts.
"It was a good weekend for us," Dooley said. "I have to give a lot of credit to the defense behind me. My defense was pretty much flawless."
"The pitchers are really producing as a unit," Watten said. "They are working well as a team and not trying to stand out as individuals."
But Hickey's walk-off home run down the left-field line not only won the game 6-4, it also provided the freshman pitcher another highlight only 13 games into her collegiate career.
"I knew when it left my bat that I got a pretty good piece of it," Hickey said. "I heard the players and my coaches screaming, so I was pretty sure it was over. As long as Sarde scored, that was all that mattered."
The next day, in a scoreless game, an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning of the University of Central Florida Knight Games Tournament championship against UCF proved to be Hickey's second game-winning hit of the weekend and gave the Terps the tournament crown, 1-0. Prior to Saturday's game against Florida A&M, the Terps opened the tournament with two wins on Friday against Villanova, 4-0, and Vermont, 7-1.
Hickey leads the team in batting average (.442), slugging percentage (.721), hits (19), home runs (2) and RBIs (15), and she has been a major factor in the team's ten-game winning streak.
"Kerry's just clutch," said coach Laura Watten. "She just steps in and produces crucial runs at crucial times. She's a competitor and nothing affects her."
Hickey has also made significant contributions as a member of the pitching staff, which has carried the Terps throughout the early part of the season. Junior pitchers Sarah Dooley and Meredith Nelles collectively pitched 25 of 28 innings over the weekend without allowing an earned run while recording 19 strikeouts.
"It was a good weekend for us," Dooley said. "I have to give a lot of credit to the defense behind me. My defense was pretty much flawless."
"The pitchers are really producing as a unit," Watten said. "They are working well as a team and not trying to stand out as individuals."
Submit a letter to the editor or post a comment below.
Be the first to comment on this story