Softball, Sports

Softball making strides after winless start

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Junior pitcher Lauren Hynes has thrown 34 innings over the past nine games and posted a 3.18 ERA in that time. PHOTO BY FALON MORAN/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Pitching progress

The Boston University softball team has been on a roll recently after a rough, 0-13 start, and a big part of its success of late has been its pitching.

While the Terriers’ (6-16) ERA currently sits at 5.11, there’s no doubt that that number has dipped considerably over the past nine games. Over those past nine contests, BU pitchers have allowed more than three runs only twice, and are owners of a much-improved 3.47 ERA.

“It’s just a matter of playing together,” said BU coach Kathryn Gleason. “Putting them in game situations is just like getting the hitters in game situations to face live pitching. I think playing 12 games over 10 days over spring break really helped them develop their pitches and get into a rhythm.”

One Terrier who has had a lot of chances to develop her game is junior Lauren Hynes. The San Diego native has been a workhorse over the past nine games, appearing in every contest, tossing 34 innings and posting a 3.18 ERA over that time.

“The entire pitching staff, they’ve been beat up a little bit so we’ll use this next week-and-a-half to get them healthy,” Gleason said. “In the beginning we struggled giving up runs in the first couple innings, but now they’ve really locked it down. For them to be out there in the 80 degree heat has definitely built their endurance and stamina.”

You-da-man

Coming off her Patriot League Player of the Week honor, junior infielder Brittany Younan will look to continue being the offensive spark that the Terriers need as they prepare to enter conference play.

“What you look for in your leadoff hitter is someone who can set the table for you, look at a lot of pitches and come back and tell us what the opposing pitchers are throwing,” Gleason said of Younan.

Younan has appeared in the top spot of the lineup in 12 of the team’s 22 games, and she has hit .487 and scored 10 runs.

The infielder’s ability was put on display over the past seven games when she hit .619 and crossed the plate nine times.

“When she gets on, it’s a spark for everyone, and that really gets the offense going,” Gleason said. “Any time she gets on she’s a threat to steal and score runs, and even if she doesn’t get on base she’s extremely valuable to the team.”

While Younan has seen success in the batter’s box of late, she’s not the only one. Over the past nine games, the Terriers have scored 50 runs, which is almost twice as many they had scored in the previous 13 games.

Even with the slow start, BU is third in the Patriot League in runs scored – in thanks primarily to the recent increase in run production – and Gleason said the team seems poised to be a contender once conference play begins this week.

“We’ve adjusted the lineup offensively a couple different ways,” Gleason said. “We’ve dealt with injuries and have had to adjust that way, and we’ve done just that, so there are a few things that have contributed to our success.”

Gleason said one of the most important factors in the Terriers’ recent success is the time that the team has spent together. Merely by playing more and more games together, the girls have formed a chemistry, and the offense has benefitted from it.

“For them, it’s knowing that if someone gets up in a situation that they’re going to come through with a bunt, or a steal, or a hit and run,” Gleason said. “Different people are stepping up at different times. I think that they’re seeing that ‘I might be struggling, and even if I just put the ball in play the person behind me will get the job done.'”

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