All terrapins

Maryland Softball Goes Undefeated In Terrapin Invitational

The Terps close out the Terrapin Invitational on a high note, defeating UMBC, going 4-0 over the weekend.
Jaden Golding|
Sep 2, 2023; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins spirit tam unfurl a Maryland state flag over the student section during the first half against the Towson Tigers at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Sep 2, 2023; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins spirit tam unfurl a Maryland state flag over the student section during the first half against the Towson Tigers at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

There's nothing like a little home cooking to boost a team's energy and play. For the Maryland Terrapins softball team, that was the case. The Terps (10-9) hosted the Terrapin Invitational, which began on Friday and closed out this afternoon.

Syracuse, Providence, Fairfield, and UMBC all participated in the invitational at College Park.

Maryland was dominant all weekend, going a perfect 4-0 and beginning the season undefeated at home.

Let's dive into the matchups.....

Feb. 27th vs. Syracuse (Win 6-3)

Trailing 3-0 entering the bottom of the second inning, the Terps needed a spark to climb back in the contest after a solo home run and two-run RBI double kicked off the Orange's scoring.

Maryland's Matti Benson kicked off the comeback with RBI single to make it a 3-1 deficit.

Anna McGowan made it a one-run deficit, belting a solo homer in the fourth inning.

In the fifth, the Terps scored three runs, claiming their first lead and not looking back: Caitlyn Cornwell (RBI single), Zayda Rocke (RBI Sac Fly), and Bailey Murphy reached first base on a fielding error, which brought Sammi Woods home.

McGowan added her second RBI in the sixth.

Keira Bucher picked up her fourth win of the season, holding Syracuse scoreless through 5.1 innings of work on 79 pitches, allowing only three hits and striking out two batters.

Feb. 28th vs. Providence (Win 15-8)

This matchup was a high-scoring affair, and the bats were hot for both teams. Maryland opened up the game with a four-run opening inning behind a Mariah Penta RBI single and a three-run bomb to center field.

Providence and Maryland traded grand slams in the second inning. McGowan launched her fourth homer of the season down center field and gave the Terps an 8-4 lead.

Benson would hit a solo homer in the fifth. Despite Providence scoring two runs across the fifth and sixth, it would not be enough.

The Terps ran away with the game in the sixth inning, scoring six runs, including two two-run RBI doubles by McGowan and Benson, and RBI singles by Woods and Gracie Wilson.

Maryland had 18 hits, which resulted in 15 runs and RBIs.

Elisea Wiegand and Bucher combined for eight strikeouts across 4.4 innings of work. Wiegand earned her second victory and Bucher her first save of the season.

Feb. 28th vs. Fairfield (Win 8-1)

Behind a dominant outing by junior Caitlin Olensky and four homers by the Terps batters, they cruised to their second victory of the day.

Olensky pitched a complete game, shutting down the Stags' hitters, with eight strikeouts, allowing only five hits, one run on 113 total pitches.

Woods and Rocke each hit RBI singles in the third to erase the one-run lead by Fairfield.

Benson kicked off the home run party with her second of the day in the fourth inning, followed by Mariah Penta and Rocke with back-to-back solo shots in the fifth, and McGowan in the sixth. McGowan's shot was her team-leading fifth of the season.

The Terps had eight different players with at least one hit and six players with at least one RBI.

Feb. 29th vs. UMBC ( Win 8-0, 6 innings)

Wiegand led the Terps, picking up her second win of the invitational and her second complete game of the season. Wiegand stuffed the Retrievers' hitters, allowing only one hit across six innings of work.

Wiegand had three 1-2-3 innings and held UMBC hitless through the first four innings.

Maryland's batters did their damage in the fourth (three runs) and sixth innings (five runs).

McGowan kicked off the scoring with her sixth homer out to center field in the fourth. Followed by Gracelyn Solaraz scoring on a wild pitch, Wilson hit an RBI triple.

In the sixth, RBI singles by Wilson and Cornwell kicked off the frame. McGowan drew a bases-loaded RBI walk after being hit by a pitch, and Penta hit a two-run RBI single down left field to end the game.

Up Next:

Maryland continues the homestand against Delaware on Wednesday with the first pitch beginning at 6 p.m.

More from Maryland On SI

Stay up to date with the Terrapins by bookmarking  Maryland On SI and follow us on Twitter.

Published
Jaden Golding
JADEN GOLDING

Jaden's sports journalism career began at the College of Southern Maryland from 2022-2023, where he was brought in to cover baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball at CSM. In late 2023, he began interning at the University of Maryland Athletics Department as a contributing writer to help develop feature stories and game recaps. He also creates his own sports media content on professional Washington teams with LegacyMaker Sports Network.

Home/Other Teams