The Boston University softball team opened its season with a strong start and disappointing finish in this weekend’s Marriott Houston Classic. The Terriers won their opener last Friday – a 3-0 victory over California State-Northridge – but proceeded to drop their next four contests.
Junior hurler Cassidi Hardy, who sat out last season due to injury, had an impressive return to the mound in Friday’s win, striking out seven Matadors while allowing two hits and two walks in a complete game shutout.
“She threw really well. It was nice to see her come back from an injury after being out all last year,” said BU coach Shawn Rychcik. “It was a nice way to open up the season. We were happy about that.”
The Terrier bats came to life in the sixth, when they broke the scoreless tie. Freshman April Setterlund took first base after being hit by a pitch and advanced to second on the next pitch, prompting Northridge to make a pitching change.
“They just thought that their kid was running out of gas and they put another pitcher in, but I think we just had a good batting order,” Rychcik said.
Junior Christy Leath welcomed reliever Mercedes Lovato with an RBI single, and classmate Melissa Dubay followed with her first home run of the season, a two-run shot to give BU a 3-0 lead.
The Terriers didn’t fare so well the rest of the weekend.
BU suffered its first loss of 2008 just hours after its first triumph, an 8-0 setback to the No. 16 University of Houston. Sophomore Megan Currier, the 2007 America East Pitcher of the Year, allowed seven hits and seven earned runs over 5.1 innings.
“She just got off to a slow start,” Rychcik said. “I know she can do it. I know she can be Pitcher of the Year in the conference, it just wasn’t her weekend. I’m not too worried about it.”
The Terriers managed to avoid a shutout in Saturday’s 7-1 loss to Texas State University. Six BU players registered hits, but senior Molly Gallagher’s homer in the seventh accounted for the Terriers’ lone run.
Later Saturday, the Terriers fell 2-1 to Kansas University. Junior Shayne Lotito was the only BU player to cross the plate, and the Terriers held their lead until the bottom of the sixth, when Kansas plated two and held on for the victory.
Hardy earned the start against the Jayhawks, tossing five scoreless innings before faltering in the sixth.
BU wrapped up its Classic slate with Sunday’s tilt against Centenary College. The Terriers drew first blood in the second, when Setterlund’s RBI double scored junior Brooke Hudson.
In the third, Centenary took back all that was taken from them an inning earlier, and more, plating seven runs on five hits. The Terriers’ comeback effort fell short, scoring just three more runs against starter Ryan Thacker and reliever Lauren Highsmith.
Carrying a 1-4 record on the way back to Boston, Rychcik focused on the highlights of the weekend this early in the season.
“There were a lot of positives. I think we are going to be a really good team,” he said. “If we took out a few innings from this weekend, I think we would have been undefeated. It’s all about consistency, and we weren’t able to play seven innings consistently.”