It’s pretty simple: if you don’t give up any runs, you win.
The Boston University softball team has been winning games with that philosophy recently, and Thursday’s twinbill in Orono against the University of Maine was no different.
After sophomore hurler Julie Henneke shut out the Black Bears (11-13, 0-2 America East) 1-0 in game one, scattering two base hits and a walk over the complete game, freshman Erin McDonald and senior Tiffany Finateri only had to blank the home team for five innings, as the Terriers (12-16, 3-1) won by a 12-0 mercy rule in the nightcap at Kessock Field. The two shutouts were the pitching staff’s fifth and sixth in their last 10 games, as the squad has now won nine of its last 11.
Henneke made a no-hit bid, hoping to equal the feat that McDonald and Finateri combined on earlier this year against Central Connecticut State University. But the ace’s bid was squelched by a Black Bear base hit by Lindsay Tibbetts in the bottom of the fifth.
Despite Henneke’s dominance in the circle, the Terriers still needed to overcome a performance that was nearly as impressive by Maine hurler Jenna Merchant to get the victory. Neither pitcher had much margin for error, and Merchant was the one to make the mistake, walking in what proved to be the winning run in the top of the fifth.
After a one-out single by senior second baseman Kristin Knesek, freshman third baseman Josey Mendez reached on an error by Maine first baseman Nikki Taylor. Sophomore designated hitter DeKenya Williams advanced the two baserunners with a ground out, and a pair of walks to sophomore shortstop Jamie Haas and junior centerfielder Abbey Pauley pushed the decisive run across. Pauley got credit for the game-winning RBI.
Both pitchers worked complete games and struck out eight, but Henneke was a little bit better to get the win and move to 5-5.
Knesek had two of the Terriers’ three hits in the pitchers’ duel.
With the momentum of winning the hard-fought opener, the BU bats didn’t put quite as much pressure on the Terrier pitchers in the second game, exploding for 11 runs in the first three innings en route to a 12-0 mercy rule drubbing of the Black Bears. Maine pitching was pounded for 13 hits, and Black Bear ERA leader Sarah Bennis was chased after allowing nine runs in just two and two-thirds innings, taking the loss.
The 12 runs were the team’s second highest total of the year, surpassed only by the 13 they put up against Dartmouth College in the closing game of another doubleheader on March 27.
After pushing a run across in the first on a McDonald RBI triple, the Terriers broke it open with four in the second, thanks to two RBIs each from Williams on a double and from Henneke on a single. The rout was on in the third as BU tallied six more runs, all scored with two outs. The barrage was capped off by another big hit from Henneke, this one a two-run triple. Mendez finished the scoring with a leadoff home run – the first of her career – in the fifth.
Still, the offensive eruption could not overshadow another dominant pitching performance by the Terrier hurlers. After being named last week’s America East Pitcher of the Week, McDonald started, and with a quick cushion, allowed two hits – both singles by Maine’s leading hitter Jess Brady – and a walk in three shutout innings to earn the win and move to 4-6. Finateri made sure the Black Bears would be unable to extend the game any longer than the minimum five innings, setting down all six Maine hitters she faced, including three strikeouts.
The sweep pushed the Terriers up to second in the America East conference at 3-1. After winning the regular season title last year by six games, BU trails the University at Albany in the early-season standings by only a half-game.
The squad hopes to continue its rise to the top of the standings this weekend, as they play a pair of doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Hartford. The Hawks finished second in the conference a year ago, but have dropped their first three conference games this year, and have a disappointing 1-12 record overall. Poor pitching has plagued the team, as opponents have tagged Hartford hurlers at a .372 clip, with those same pitchers allowing nearly five earned runs per game. Sophomore third baseman Liz Borawski leads the Hawks’ offensive attack with a .343 average to go with a .543 slugging percentage and eight stolen bases.