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May 11, 2009 PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - Hawks travel to compete in the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship as the spring sports begin to wrap. Softball bowed out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) tournament early with the baseball team preparing to make a run of its own for the title. And senior Merrecia James and freshman Ahkeem Gauntlett have been named University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Athletes of the Week for the period ending May 3. James led the women's track and field team to a second-place finish in the MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Gauntlett ran the anchor leg of the in the 4x100-meter relay, which finished third in 40.33 and helped that squad also qualify for regionals. BASEBALL Freshman catcher Ben Vasko was named MEAC Rookie of the week. Vasko hit .333 (2-for-6) in three games against Longwood with one double. He also recorded nine putouts, three assists and committed just one error from behind the plate while throwing out a pair of baserunners. Senior right hander Russel Deutschmann threw seven and one-third innings and allowed three runs to help UMES to an 8-3 win over Temple in non-conference action at Hawks Stadium.
The win snapped a nine-game losing skid for the Hawks (12-39). Sophomore first baseman Bryan Chaikowsky went 2-for-3 with his team-leading 11th double and a two-RBI triple to go along with three run scored. He also added a sacrifice fly. UMES senior infielder Pat Hercinger was named to the ESPN The Magazine District 2 All-Academic First Team. A Criminal Justice major, Hercinger carriers a 3.92 grade-point average and is a team captain with a.298 batting average in 48 games with one home run and 22 RBIs this season. He leads the team in hits (50) and is second in total bases (63) and walks (21). Hercinger also tops the team in multiple-hit games (14) and has a 10-game hitting streak to his credit. Chaikowsky hit his second home run of the season - a grand slam - in the Hawks' win at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). UMES scored eight runs in the fifth inning to blow open a five-run game, cruising to a 17-5 victory. Seven UMES players scored a least one run, three had multiple hits and two had four RBIs each in the Hawks' (13-39) second consecutive win. Sophomore right-hander Matt Witte threw six strong innings to improve to 3-4 on the year. He scattered six hits and one run while striking out five with no walks. The Hawks split the final day of the series with NCCU, losing game one 7-6, and winning game two, 11-7. UMES goes into the MEAC tournament having won three of its last four games. Phil Vaughn went 5-for-7 at the plate in the twinbill, including three hits in three at-bats and three runs scored in the opener. MEN’S GOLF Six UMES students enrolled in the school's Professional Golf Management Program were selected to compete in the 23rd annual PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship May 7-10 at the PGA Golf Club in Port Saint Lucie, Fla. Tyrone Killingsworth, Anthony Long, Donald McKinnon, Gregary Price, Richard Sheppard and Minsoo Soh will faced 24 others in the men's individual division in a three-round, stroke-play format. The event will also include 23 other men's teams from all three NCAA divisions and the NAIA as well as seven women's squads. SOFTBALL Head Coach Sam Douglas was named MEAC Coach of the Year and the Lady Hawks walked away with four All-Conference nods at this year’s banquet. Kendra Saunders and Mishayla Truttman earned First Team All-Conference honors, while Chelsea Logan and Kristi Miranda named to the Second Team All-Conference. Douglas is in his third year as head coach. He led the Lady Hawks to their first 20 win season since 1996 to receive the award. Saunders was named to the MEAC Second Team last season and is the only four year senior on the team. Truttman stepped up this year for the Lady Hawks. She leads the team in slugging percentage, including three home runs, five doubles and a triple under her belt. She also has an impressive fielding percentage, having committed just three errors in over 30 games. The UMES softball team could not find their feet against Florida A&M University (FAMU) in the first round of the MEAC tournament. The Lady Hawks fell to the undefeated southern division champions 10-2 in five innings for their first loss in the double elimination tournament.
Hannah Mills went 1-for-1 with a double and Saunders added a double of her own as she and Ebony Hahn went 1-for-2 in the loss. After grabbing their first 20 win season in over 10 years, the UMES softball team was knocked out of the MEAC tournament by North Carolina A&T University (NCAT). The Lady Aggies rallied in the final two innings to defeat UMES 11-2 in six innings. The Lady Hawks (20-17) finished the season over .500 for the first time since 1996. Hahn and Logan were both .500 against NCAT going 1-for-2. Mills, Saunders and Kayla Nelson each finished the contest 1-for-3 at the plate. CoSIDA announced that Saunders and Truttman were named to ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team. Saunders, a four year starter of the Lady Hawks, has been on the Dean's List every semester of her college career and maintained higher than a 3.8 cumulative GPA for seven straight semesters. The only player to start every game this season, Saunders is an Exercise Science major who leads the team in batting average (.349), total bases (50) and RBI (26). She is also second in stolen bases with 10. Truttman has maintained a 4.0 cumulative GPA for five straight semesters. The English and Spanish double major is second on the team in batting and has an amazing .516 slugging percentage with five doubles, three home runs and a triple this season. She plays first base and has 11 appearances on the mound for the Lady Hawks. After UMES bowed out of the MEAC tournament early, the league announced that Mills, an Eastern Shore native, was named to the All-Tournament team. The standout pitcher and catcher was the only Lady Hawk named to the post season team. As one of three UMES players to record hits in both games of the tournament, Mills did not strike out and went 2-for-4 with a triple and double, posting an impressive 1.250 slugging percentage. She is ranked 16th nationally in walks and has the second best ERA and slugging percentage on the team. Mills is also tied for second in doubles. UPCOMING EVENTS Baseball will make a run for the MEAC title May 14-16 in Ormond Beach, Fla.
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