’Jacks rally late in opener, roll in nightcap
LA PLATA – Just call it The Little Hit That Could.
Abby Tyner's sixth-inning squibber ignited a seven-run explosion as Chesapeake College rallied past the College of Southern Maryland, 9-3, in the first game of Friday's women's softball doubleheader. The unbeaten Skipjacks (16-0 overall, 8-0 league) then blanked CSM, 11-0, in a five-inning nightcap as winning pitcher Stephanie Weyermiller threw a six-hit complete game.
In an inning that saw Chesapeake bang out three doubles to erase a 3-1 deficit, head coach Durrie Hayes found it ironic that the "big hit of the inning was a squibber that went about 15 feet."
Hayes, however, said the Skipjacks were due a break at the plate.
"We hit a lot of balls hard that got caught in that first game and we had runners on every inning," said Hayes. "After a while, you start thinking, 'Is this going to be one of those games where we hit 'em all right at somebody?' We just had to keep hitting the ball hard and hope the balls started falling in."
Cheyenne Riley started the sixth-inning rally with a leadoff single off CSM hurler Megan Windsor. Tyner, pinch-hitting for Michele Lawrenson with one out, hit a ball off the end of her bat that turned into a slow roller she beat out at first. Lawrenson then reentered the game to run for Tyner.
Hannah Stringer followed with a single to left that scored Riley to cut the deficit to 3-2 as Lawrenson motored to third. Stringer continued on to second on the throw to third.
Kaley Schreiber (3-for-5, two RBI) then blooped a single to short left to plate Lawrenson and tie the game, 3-3. A parade of doubles then followed as the Skipjacks took control.
Weyermiller doubled off the left-center field fence to score Stringer (2-for-4) and put the Skipjacks ahead to stay, 4-3. Samantha Greenwell (2-for-4, two doubles, three RBI) then doubled off the top of the fence in right-center field to plate Schreiber and Weyermiller, making it 6-3. Kellieann Tyner doubled to left to score Greenwell, and Riley (3-for-4) singled for the second time in the inning to chase home Kellieann Tyner and complete the big inning.
Riley was the winning pitcher, going 5 1/3 while allowing three runs – none of them earned – on seven hits with three walks and no strikeouts. Kellieann Tyner pitched the final 1 2/3 innings, blanking the Hawks on one hit and striking out one batter.
Taryn Zietlow was the fifth Skipjack with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a double as Chesapeake banged out 16 hits.
Chesapeake established early control of the nightcap, scoring twice in the second on a sacrifice fly by Straub (one hit, two RBI) and a two-out CSM error. The Skipjacks broke the game open with a six-run third, highlighted by a solo homer from Weyermiller, and added a run in the fourth and two in the fifth to invoke the slaughter rule.
Zietlow went 3-for-3 with a double while Weyermiller (two RBI), Greenwell (double), Schreiber (double, two RBI), and Stringer each had two hits.
Riley contributed a double to Chesapeake's 15-hit attack. Chesapeake had a home run and 10 doubles during the doubleheader.
Weyermiller walked two without a strikeout in earning the win.
CSM fell to 4-2, 2-2 with the losses.
The Skipjacks are off until next Saturday, when they travel to Prince George's Community College for a noon doubleheader.