Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
BEL AIR, Md.—The Harford softball team squandered a 2-1 lead in game one and a 6-3 lead in game two as it dropped a doubleheader to the College of Southern Maryland, 6-3 and 13-9 (8 inn.) on Saturday at Harford Softball Field.
The Fighting Owls (4-8) gave up a two-run homer in the third in game one and two more Hawk (9-7) runs in the seventh, while adding just one of their own, and after battling back from a 9-6 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the seventh in game two, surrendered four in the top of the eighth.
Sophomore Sarah Cooley (Clermont, Fla./Bel Air) led Harford, going 6-for-9 on the day with two doubles and four RBI, while also shouldering the hard-luck loss in game two. Cooley (2-4) struck out six in three innings of work, but gave up a grand slam in the eighth before notching two more strikeouts for a total of eight in four innings.
Brenna Barnes led the Hawks, going 6-for-9 with two runs, a double, two home runs and nine RBI, while Cristina Hutchinson picked up both wins, allowing 12 runs (11 earned) on 21 hits and striking out 15 in 15 innings on the day.
The Hawks took a 1-0 lead in the first in game one off Brooke Martin's solo homer, but a two-run RBI single would put Harford up 2-1 in the bottom of the inning.
Southern Maryland knotted the score in the second and then took its final lead in the third off Barnes's two-run shot, 4-2. Harford would add one run in the bottom of the third and the Hawks would tally two in the seventh to cement the 6-3 win.
Game two saw the Owls strike first with four runs in the second off a sacrifice bunt by freshman Jessica Langrehr (Jarrettsville, Md./North Harford), an RBI single by freshman Jessica Kraft (Jarrettsville, Md./John Carroll) and a two-run RBI double from sophomore Audrey Werneke (Havre de Grace, Md./Havre de Grace).
The Hawks would capitalize on a Harford miscue in the third, scoring three unearned runs, but two more Owl scores in the bottom of the inning would put Harford up, 6-3. The lead was short-lived, however, as Southern Maryland scored five in the fourth for an 8-6 advantage and added one in the fifth to make it a three-run game, 9-6.
Freshman Mariah Ripken (Havre de Grace, Md./Havre de Grace/Kutztown) started the bottom of the seventh off with a solo homer and freshmen Rischelle Griffin (Pylesville, Md./North Harford) and Bieanca Dorsey (Bel Air, Md./Bel Air) added an RBI single and groundout RBI, respectively, to force extra innings.
The seventh-inning rally proved to be futile as Barnes notched a grand slam in the eighth and Harford was held scoreless in the bottom on the way to the 13-9 loss.
The Fighting Owls return to action on Monday when they host Delaware Tech-Stanton for a doubleheader at 3:00 p.m.
