Terrier junior outfielder Jayme Mask leads the Terrier squad with a .367 batting average.
After dropping the last game of a weekend series against University of Hartford, the Boston University softball team will get back on the field Tuesday afternoon when the team takes on defending Ivy League champion Harvard University.
“You don’t realize what it takes out of you, the wind, the sun and the cold weather. It’s exhausting,” said BU coach Kathryn Gleason of the pace of her team’s schedule.
After defeating Boston College 3-1 last Thursday, the Terriers (11-19-1, 2-4 America East) dropped their second conference series of the season, suffering two close losses on their trip to Connecticut. After winning its first game 4-1, BU dropped the second game of the Saturday doubleheader 5-4 and fell 5-3 Sunday.
“We talked about being consistent and just having great at bats — great quality at bats,” Gleason said. “Our pitching has been consistent and kept us in the game, so we just emphasize being consistent defensively and at the plate.”
The 5-4 loss to Hartford put the Terriers at 3-6 in one-run games as they continue to struggle to get clutch hits. Despite a late-inning rally led by the bats of freshman designated hitter Lauren Hynes and senior second baseman Emily Roesch, the Terriers were unable to complete a comeback Sunday afternoon, a recurring theme in recent play.
Roesch has quietly been one of the most consistent offensive players for BU this season. Despite batting .237, Roesch is third on the team with 12 RBIs, behind only junior catcher Amy Ekart (15) and junior shortstop Brittany Clendenny (13).
“Sometimes they put too much pressure on themselves individually,” Gleason said. “But it’s a team sport and we’ll just contribute whatever it is we need to contribute, whether it’s a bunt or a steal or different people coming in at different times.”
The junior class continues to be an offensive staple for the Terriers, as outfielder Jayme Mask continues to lead the team with a .367 batting average and a .436 on base-percentage. Mask’s ability to get on base and steal bags (she is second in America East with 18 stolen bases) has been vital to BU, even as it continues to struggle to plate runners.
Despite continued strong pitching from senior pitcher Whitney Tuthill, who was in the circle for all three games against Hartford, the Terriers have only scored 105 runs to their opponents’ 140. Tuthill continues to lead the BU pitching staff, and despite being on the mound for both the Terriers’ losses this weekend, she has maintained a 2.53 ERA over 135.3 innings pitched.
“Whitney has been great … whether she’s tired or not, she tells me she’s taking the ball,” Gleason said. “Whitney’s wanted the ball and she’s wanted that responsibility, and we need to back her up offensively and defensively.”
Building defensive strength, both on the mound and in the field, is essential to BU’s success for the remainder of the season. Three unearned runs off of four Terrier errors were crucial in Hartford’s win in the second game of the doubleheader Saturday.
Harvard (11-17) has gone 4-4 in Ivy League play so far this season, most recently coming out with an exciting win over Cornell University Sunday on the strength of a walk-off grand slam from freshman Haley Davis in an 11-2 mercy-rule victory. The grand slam was Davis’s first career home run.
The Crimson have two strong freshman pitchers in Morgan Groom and Jamie Halula. Groom’s 2.70 ERA leads the team despite her 4-8 record. Halula’s 4.13 ERA is the team’s second best and she holds a 3-4 record this season. The efforts of these two have in large part led to a combined 3.82 ERA for Harvard.
The Terriers will look to build on their successes from this past weekend and learn to get around their miscues as they enter a tough period of play in April.
“That’s what you want to do during a season, get better each and every game and improve fundamentally,” Gleason said. “It’s a tough stretch at the end of April since we’re playing every other day.”
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