The Boston University softball team claimed its fourth and fifth consecutive victories when it swept Providence College in a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at the BU softball field.
The Terriers picked up their first victory of the afternoon, 5-3, before completing the day with a 3-1 victory.
Sophomore shortstop Brittany Clendenny led the offense, going 5-for-6 on the day as she filled in for leadoff hitter Jayme Mask.
“We’ve got a lot of people hurting right now,” said BU coach Shawn Rychcik. “Jayme Mask was out of the lineup today, and I can probably name five or six other people that have injuries.”
In the first game of the doubleheader, sophomore pitcher Holli Floetker picked up her team-leading 16th win of the season as classmates Clendenny and third baseman Megan Volpano led the Terriers (29-13, 8-3 America East) offense in BU’s win over the Friars (15-31).
Floetker pitched a complete game, striking out five and only allowed five hits and one earned run against Providence despite an injury. Two errors by the Terriers in the top of the seventh allowed the Friars to score two of their three.
“She’s not even anywhere near where she’s been,” Rychcik said. “She was probably [throwing] about three, four miles an hour less. And they’ve seen good pitching, so it’s not going to get 10 strikeouts against them.”
The Terriers’ pitcher only allowed a single hit through the fifth inning, and when she allowed two runners to reach base in the sixth the BU defense stepped up to stop Providence from scoring.
Clendenny got the Terriers off to a good start when she doubled to left field from the leadoff spot in the bottom of the first. A ground out to the pitcher by senior left fielder Erica Casacci advanced Clendenny to third, and Volpano, with her first of three RBIs in the game, brought Clendenny home with a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the third Clendenny and Volpano worked together once again to bring a run across the plate for the Terriers. After Clendenny hit another double, Volpano’s single up the middle let her score.
Volpano sent Clendenny home once more in the bottom of the fifth, putting the Terriers up 4-0.
BU tacked on one more run in the bottom of the sixth when junior second baseman Emily Roesch hit a solo home run.
The top of the seventh proved troublesome when the previously smooth sailing Floetker ran into some trouble. Despite two errors, the Terriers held Providence to three runs in the inning and claim victory.
“We had a tough seventh inning . . . but we were able to get out of it,” Rychcik said. “I’m real happy about the way we ended up in that second game.”
Junior pitcher Whitney Tuthill got the win in the Terriers’ second victory of the day, a 3-1 contest in which she allowed six hits and struck out six batters.
“Whitney kind of found her rhythm at the end,” Rychcik said. “In probably the last five, six innings she really got good grooves.”
Providence scored its only run of the game early on in the top of the first but the Terriers quickly tied the score up in the bottom of the inning. Clendenny once again led off with a leadoff double before Casacci advanced her to third. A sacrifice fly by Volpano allowed Clendenny to score and put the Terriers on the board.
“When you get those productive outs like that you’re going to have some easier at bats,” Rychcik said. “The people that are driving them in, it might just be a base hit or a sacrifice fly.”
Neither team scored again until the bottom of the fourth when the Terriers took the lead for the first time. With one out, sophomore center fielder Chelsea O’Connor hit a home run to center field, bringing BU’s lead up to 2-1.
Clendenny scored again for the Terriers in the bottom of the fifth. After hitting another double down the right field line, she advanced to third after a wild pitch before a single to left field by Volpano brought her home.
Tuthill held off the Friars’ offense for the remainder of the game as the Terriers picked up their second win of the day.
“Every team, every game is different,” Rychcik said. “Some days you feel like you can swing for eight or 10 runs, and some days you go out. Maybe we’ve just got to grind out one an inning.”
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