Softball team goes 4-1 on weekend, but players remain unsatisfied

After a rough start to the 2010 season on the road, the Terrapin softball team wanted perfection in their home opening tournament this weekend.

The Terps didn't quite achieve their goal, but they were close.

An improved offense, paired with electrifying pitching, helped the Terps to a 4-1 record at the Maryland Round Robin tournament at Robert E. Taylor Stadium. The successful weekend pushed their record to 8-7 on the season.

Coach Laura Watten's squad got off to a great start Friday against Princeton, winning 9-0 on the strength of home runs from designated hitter Kerry Hickey and infielder Nadine Blackie. Heading into the late innings, the Terps' win was all but assured, and Kendra Knight's no-hit bid took center stage.

Knight took the no-no into the bottom of the seventh inning, but allowed a double off the center field wall only two outs from completing the feat.

Hickey, who pitched in the nightcap, picked up where Knight left off, not allowing a hit until the fifth inning in the Terps' 2-0 victory over Mount St. Mary's.

The Terps only loss of the tournament came Saturday. Despite what is believed to be a school record 18 strikeouts from Knight, Towson prevailed 2-0 as the Terp bats went cold again.

"These hitters owe these pitchers a whole lot more," Watten said. "They're really, really keeping other teams down and really throwing well and doing their job. Kendra pitched a great game against Towson, and we offensively let her down. We can't keep doing that."
The players are aware of the deficiency as well.

"It's really, really frustrating as a team. Kendra did great," infielder Alex Schultz said. "It just comes to a point where you need to score some runs while she's working her butt off."

The Terps would rebound that night, scoring early and often on the way to a 7-5 win over Princeton. Yesterday, the Terps staved off a last-inning rally to top Mount St. Mary's, 4-2.
Despite the team's solid record for the weekend, the team is not satisfied with its performance, citing a lack of clutch hitting as well as consistency as the main issues.

"It was an OK weekend," Watten said. "We have to be better disciplined, we have to have better clutch hits, and we're leaving way too many runners on. We have to play defense behind our pitching. We can't be satisfied with the wins that we've had. "

The Terps also understand they were facing less competitive teams.

"We expect to win these games, so 4-1, I don't think is good enough. It's a good record, but we wanted 5-0," Knight said. "We'll come out of here with a positive outlook, but we're still hungry for next week."

Knight and Hickey teamed up to baffle hitters all weekend, combining to strike out 59 batters in 33 innings. Their dominance has been one of the main storylines of the early season, as the two hurlers have continued to be the dynamic duo the team had hoped for in the offseason.

"Normally, in a situation like that, especially with female athletics sometimes, it can be one of them wanting the other one not to succeed so they can go in. There's a fight to be number one," Watten said. "But those two are best friends and are great together."

schneider@umdbk.com