The offense was fun while it lasted, but after a three-game home series that saw the Boston University softball team outscore Binghamton University, 19-7 in two victories and surrender 10 runs in a lone loss, it looks as if things will return to normal when the 22-23 Terriers (8-6 America East) visit the University of Maine (30-15, 11-3) this afternoon.
Softball is no stranger to low scores, as the outcomes of BU’s first two games against the first-place Black Bears will attest. The two squads split a doubleheader at the BU Softball Field on April 12 when the Terriers won the opener, 2-1, and Maine took the nightcap, 4-2.
With junior pitcher Brittany Detwiler (8-8, 3.77 ERA) regaining her rhythm after being sidelined with an ankle sprain, and freshman Cassidi Hardy (12-8, 3.16) coming off her 15th complete game of the season after holding Binghamton at bay in two weekend victories, the banged-up Terriers look to continue a recent trend and hold Maine to little if any offense.
On the other side, the Black Bears’ pitching duo of senior Sarah Bennis (17-5, 1.79) and freshman Jenna Balent (11-9, 1.49) forces opponents to claw for any offense they can salvage. Bennis has proven particularly problematic, as she has fanned a whopping 143 in 141 innings.
“Maine has good pitching; usually they play pretty good defense,” said BU coach Shawn Rychcik. “We’ll probably look to move runners over and get ourselves into scoring position.”
Maine certainly plans to make the most of its opportunities as well. With a .377 batting average, seven homers and 30 RBI, senior shortstop Brittany Cheney leads the Black Bear offense across the board. Cheney is also Maine’s biggest threat on the bases. She is a perfect 20-for-20 in stolen base attempts this year.
BU’s key to the game is to keep Maine off the board early. In each contest against Binghamton, the Terriers allowed two first-inning runs. This put pressure on BU’s offense, which was forced to play catch-up, and on their pitching and defense, which had to be almost perfect. With lights-out pitching and an 8-1 home record, the Black Bears should make it much more difficult for BU to overcome any such deficit.
Against a team of Maine’s caliber, the Terriers must be sharp. If recent results provide any indication, there’s no reason they can’t be.