Spring has sprung at College of Southern Maryland
Softball flirting with winning season; women’s lax at .500; golf wins first match
Through the first month of the spring sports season, the College of Southern Maryland softball team has ascended to the head of the class among the school’s quintet of squads currently competing and the Hawks even had a brief taste of perfection.
During a three-game stint just prior to the team’s eight-game stretch in Myrtle Beach, S.C., CSM freshman hurler Lori Sturgill, a McDonough High School graduate from Waldorf, tossed three straight shutouts, allowing a grand sum of two hits in those outings. Against Harford Community College on March 16, in the first game of a doubleheader, Sturgill tossed a five-inning perfect game as the Hawks cruised to a 12-0 victory.
Typically, perfect games are a genuine cause for celebration, with the rarity of the occasion often prompting an enthusiastic team huddle in the circle. But after the Hawks recorded the final out of that game and prepared for the second half of their twin bill at Harford, it finally dawned on the players and coaches when they gathered in right field for their normal postgame ritual.
“I wasn’t even thinking about it,” said Sturgill, who had fanned 12 batters in a one-hit shutout against Allegany on March 12 and then struck out seven more in another one-hitter against Anne Arundel on March 18. “We really didn’t realize it until we got to the team huddle in right field. I had thrown one at McDonough, but we never really though about it during the game.”
CSM sophomore catcher Diana Cruz, a Great Mills High School graduate from Lexington Park, has been impressed with Sturgill since the start of practices and enjoys working with the team’s ace and the infielders.
“We have good chemistry,” Cruz said. “She’s a very good pitcher and we work well together. We go over things before the game and then between innings. She’s got three pitches that she can throw for strikes every game. She has been really good right from the start. Our infielders all work well together. We’ve been getting better on pick-offs.”
CSM freshman shortstop Corinne Fernald, a Chopticon High School graduate from Mechanicsville, has quickly adapted to her newfound role in the infield and has enjoyed working with the Hawks battery. Fernald and Cruz have not had too many opportuni- ties to nail potential opposing base runners seeking to steal second base, especially with a stingy Sturgill on the rubber.
“She’s really good,” Fernald said of Sturgill. “She goes out there and gets ahead of the hitters and then back her up. Diana is very good behind the plate. She does a good job setting up back there and she’s good at pick-offs. We have not had too many chances to get people out on steals, but she’s good at getting the throw-downs to me.”
While the CSM softball team (1314 overall, 6-5 in the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference after being swept by CCBC-Catonsville in a home doubleheader Wednesday) has been flirting with .500 much of the season and appears capable of attaining a winning record this spring and perhaps going deep into the Region XX playoffs, the Hawks baseball team (4-17, 1-10) has struggled to regain its winning ways. Last year CSM finished 6-29 overall and this year’s squad could be headed for a similar fate.
Last weekend, the Hawks ended a prolonged drought when they rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh inning to edge Prince George’s Community College, 4-3, in the first game of their twin bill.
Jordan Stramer allowed three unearned runs in six innings and collected the win when the Hawks scored three times in the top of the seventh and Ricky Ortiz garnered the save after yielding two hits in a scoreless bottom of the seventh.
The Hawks are back in action today at CCBC-Catonsville and on Sunday at Garrett. The softball team is next in action with a home doubleheader versus Potomac State (W.Va.) at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The CSM women’s lacrosse team (3-3, 1-3) got the .500 mark on Tuesday with an 11-10 victory over CCBC-Essex. Only in its second year of existence, the women have already won three more games than they did in their inaugural season of 2015. The Hawks edged Potomac State, 13-12, in the season opener then forged a 16-7 victory over Frederick on March 21 before Tuesday’s win. CSM was scheduled to play at Frederick on Thursday and next is at Harford on Tuesday.
“The season is off to a successful start,” Hawks head women’s lacrosse coach Joyce Arter said. “We are currently 3-3 and although we are down two players because of injury, that has not stopped the drive or determination of the team.”
The CSM men’s lacrosse team (1-6, 0-1) opened the season with five straight setbacks before posting a 20-8 victory over Northampton on April 1. The Hawks next host CCBC-Essex at noon Saturday. The golf team is underway with its third match having been run on Thursday.
“The men’s lacrosse team has had a challenging start to our season,” CSM head men’s lacrosse coach Justin Ryan said. “We have had several close games that we lost and we struggled as a team to put together four quarters of playing our best lacrosse.”
The CSM men’s golf team won its first match of the season as Jacob Benish, a Northern High School graduate from Owings, and Cameron Sydnor, a Huntingtown High School graduate from Huntingtown, tied for low medalist with rounds of 83.
“The team had a solid start to the new season, winning our first match at home,” Hawks head golf coach Robert Early said. “The talented young team is held together by strong leadership and our second-year starter and team captain, Troy Smith (a Huntingtown High School graduate from Huntingtown).”