Every season a team takes a turn down that long hard road, and the Boston University softball team is rolling down it right now. The Terriers have lost five of their last six and dropped to 20-22 after losing to Boston College Thursday, 5-2. Luckily for BU, the end is in sight with a series at home against last place Binghamton University this weekend, where the downs should start turning into ups.
“It’s just a cycle and things and it is very frustrating for the kids,” said BU coach Shawn Rychcik. “I give a lot of credit to them for coming right back out, right back at it, 100 percent. Nobody has let up, nobody is down on themselves. They realize there is a reality to what’s going on and they are going to keep fighting through that.”
Like they did in their last meeting with the Eagles, the Terriers hung with BC until a home run separated the rivals for good. They were trailing BC by just one in the third inning when catcher Ashley Obrest stepped to the plate and went yard for two runs. The Terriers came back to make it a 5-2 game in the fifth, but that’s as close as they would get.
“We did a pretty good job. It’s just hard to lose no matter what the circumstances,” Rychcik said.
The Terriers got on the board first, tallying one run in the first when Christy Leath scored from first off a Brandi Shields single and BC throwing error.
Shayne Lotito started on the mound for the Terriers in the absence of Cassidi Hardy. She recorded a 1-2-3 bottom of the first, but the Terriers failed to hold their 1-0 lead in the second, allowing two Eagles scores. The following inning, BC extended its lead to three when Obrest hammered the ball over the fence for two runs.
“Shayne came out and hung one pitch and that’s a fine line,” Rychcik said. “They were fortunate enough to cash in their hits.”
The Eagles made it 5-1 in the fourth when Kimmy Hopkin singled in Carley McNary. BU brought themselves back within three in the fifth when the one-two punch of Lotito and Tyler Benson came through: a Benson RBI single scored Lotito, who doubled to left earlier.
Lotito gave the Terriers another opportunity to come back when she doubled at the top of seventh. Benson singled her over to third but the rally was stopped short when Leath grounded out to short and Shields fouled out to end the game.
Brittany Detwiler, still recovering from an ankle sprain suffered in BU’s last contest against BC, pitched 3.2 innings of relief, allowing just one run in two hits — numbers expected of the junior pitcher before her injury. Lotito dropped to 1-3 with the loss.
“I don’t know if [Brittany] will ever be 100 percent this year,” Rychcik said. “I think she is to a point now where she can get herself back and be a contributor.”
Lotito went 3-for-4 in the contest with one run scored and two doubles. Behind her, Benson had two hits and one RBI. The Terriers also got hits from Shields, Liz Alley and Melissa Dubay. America East Rookie of the Week Brooke Hudson went 0-for-2 with one walk. BU outhit BC, 8-5, and if the hits keep coming, the wins should follow.
“If we weren’t swinging at strikes, if we were striking out 10, 12, 15 times a game, if we were having bad at bats … then there would be some concern,” Rychcik said.
Losers of five out of their last six, the Terriers face off against last-place Binghamton in a three-game series this weekend at the BU Softball Field.
“We’re going in looking at hopefully taking three games. It’s a big weekend for us, we realize that,” Rychcik said. “But we are gonna approach it just as we have done. Come out and try and play as good as we can play, I think that’s all anyone can do.”
Binghamton is led by senior shortstop Rose Barre and sophomore catcher Devin Glezen. Barre is hitting .349 on the season through April 15 with one homer and 12 RBI. But Glezen is the Bearcats’ source of power, getting hits at a .278 clip with four homers and 13 RBI.
On the mound, Binghamton sports a trio of pitchers who all have a plus-4.00 ERA. Katie Hansen leads the team with 16 starts and 94.2 innings pitched. Hansen is 3-12 with a 4.44 ERA and just 68 strikeouts.
The 7-26 (2-9 America East) Bearcats should provide a pick-me-up for the Terriers, who will look to get back to their winning ways. With Stony Brook University waiting in the wings in the conference’s fifth spot, BU will want a pair of wins to hold onto fourth. They also have an opportunity to move up to third place with a weekend sweep of the Bearcats. Games begin Saturday and Sunday at noon.
“I think at some point here some things will turn,” Rychcik said. “I think if you keep doing good things over the course of the year, you’ll get rewarded.”