Junior right-hander Jillian Kiley turned in an impressive performance last Saturday as she pitched a four-hitter and struck out 11 batters to lead Towson to a rain-delayed 3-1 victory over George Mason in the first of their three-game weekend series.
Kiley didn?t have much of a chance to celebrate her fine showing as she took to the mound less than 24 hours later and faced the same Patriots? squad. However, this time, George Mason?s offense looked much improved as it scored three runs on six hits in five innings against the Tigers hurler. Towson eventually won the contest, 9-3, before dropping the second game of the doubleheader, 1-0.
Unlike their baseball counterparts, softball starting pitchers perform many times during the week, including at Towson, where Kiley (11-10) and sophomore Jessica Fisher (14-12) account for 43 of the Tigers? 49 starts through Tuesday.
“You expect to go out there every day and just work to make sure you?re strong enough to do it,” Kiley said. “Pitching in softball requires you to be strong mentally because it?s real easy to get down on yourself when you give up a few runs. You just have to have faith in your hitters to bring you back.”
Kiley said one of the toughest parts about being a college softball pitcher is coming back to pitch the second game of a series because the opposing lineup is much more familiar with your tendencies.
“It?s definitely difficult the second time around,” Kiley said. “You can surprise the hitters with some pitches in the first game. But, by the second game, they do a better job of getting your timing down.”
Having pitching depth is arguably worth more in softball than it is in baseball because of the sport?s reliance on fewer hurlers and the generally lower scores of the games. UMBC is one area school that understands that well as the Retrievers boast five starters, including three with at least eight wins. This has helped translate into a 41-13 record for UMBC this season: the first time the program has reached the 40-win plateau since 2002.
Senior Lauren Nicholson leads the UMBC staff with a 16-1 record and a 2.94 ERA through Tuesday. Krista Kearns is second on the Retrievers in victories with a 12-5 record and a team-best 2.59 ERA. The team also received an added bonus this year as junior Brittany Boyd transferred from East Carolina. The former North County standout is 8-2 with a 2.78 ERA.
Nicholson said the staff?s depth has been even better for her after coming off a shoulder injury last season.
“I feel like I?m getting stronger as the season has gone along because we have so many pitchers that we don?t get overworked,” Nicholson said. “It?s even more important to have pitching depth in conference play when you have a three-game series over two days.”
Nicholson added that even with the extra pitching help this season, the hurlers at UMBC are still appear on the mound more often than their baseball counterparts.
“My friends that play baseball are amazed that we are able to go out and pitch as often as we do,” Nicholson said. “They don?t understand how we are able to go out there and not have sore arms despite playing as many games as they do.”
Ron Snyder is a free-lance writer from Baltimore.
