In its home opener against East Carolina last night, a case of early fielding jitters turned a doubleheader into a tale of two games for the Terrapin softball team at Robert E. Taylor Stadium.
In a pitching duel undone by the Terps' own defensive lapses in the opener, they first had to settle for a 3-2 loss. But with timely hitting arriving for the second game, the Terps ultimately managed a series split with a 4-2 win.
"We just have to be consistent about bringing all facets of our game to the table each day," coach Laura Watten said. "The second game, our pitching was strong, our defense was strong, and our offense made things happen. When we decide to do it, we do it. It's just a matter of doing it immediately."
In yesterday's opener, the Terps (9-8) had opportunities in the first and third innings to take an early lead but squandered each against the Pirates' extremely effective Toni Paisley (12-3). The pitcher retired eight straight Terps at one point, helping stake her team to a 1-0 lead.
When the Terps finally got to Paisley for two runs in the bottom of the sixth, it seemed as if it would be enough to win behind the pitching of Kerry Hickey. But an error by the pitcher — one of five in the game by the Terps — opened the door for the Pirates (17-6) to score two in the top of the seventh.
"You have to be able to make an error and bounce and be strong enough and tough enough to make the next play," Watten said. "I honestly have not been in a game where I've had that many errors. That's the first time."
The miscues ruined what was, on paper, one of Hickey's (3-4) best outings this year. The senior struck out 14 Pirates while walking three and allowing only one earned run. However, Terp errors extended innings and produced unnecessary runs when they could least afford them.
"The problem was she threw a great game, but we weren't making the plays behind her," Watten said.
"I made some pitches that put us in a bad spot," Hickey said. "It was such a close game. I guess we just rolled the ball around, and things didn't come out the way we expected, but we came back the second game and did well."
In their nightcap, the Terps got another solid pitching performance from freshman Ashley Czechner. While the Pirates eventually mounted a late comeback, scoring two runs in the final two innings to halve a 4-0 lead, the substitution of Hickey helped the Terps work out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh.
Overall, Czechner (4-1) went 6.2 innings and surrendered two earned runs on six hits and four walks while striking out four.
The Terp offense spotted Czechner a 4-0 lead with opportunistic playmaking that featured a score on a double steal and a two-run home run by senior infielder Marisha Branson.
"I think we just focused on our pitch and hit it where it's pitched," outfielder Vangie Galindo said.
Galindo led the offense, going a combined 4-for-7 with a run scored for the night, while infielder Bree Hanafin contributed a 2-for-5 appearance with a walk and two runs scored.
dgallen@umdbk.com
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