Two double-headers in three days may sound like a lot, but it was just what the Terriers needed.
Behind four home runs from three different players and solid pitching throughout, the Boston University Softball team improved its record to 7-15 with two wins over Dartmouth College on Thursday, March 27 and one victory in a double-header against Harvard University on Saturday, March 29.
‘We’re having a rough start,’ said head coach Amy Hayes. ‘But playing at home has always been big for us. We just took a wave.’
The Terriers tallied two victories in their series with Dartmouth, shutting the Big Green out in both games 2-0 and 13-0.
In the first game, all of BU’s runs came in the first inning, thanks in part to sophomore shortstop Jamie Haas’ leadoff triple. The Terriers then pulled a trick out of their sleeves, engineering a double steal with sophomore Julie Henneke taking second base to bring Haas across the plate. Freshmen first baseman Liz Alley later singled to drive home Henneke.
Henneke’s best play, however, came from within the pitching circle as she struck out a season-high 11 batters, including the first six of the game. She also only gave up two hits and two walks in her complete game performance.
BU finished with six hits on the day, including two each from Haas and Alley.
In the second game of the day, the Terrier bats came alive in the second inning when they scored eight runs on eight hits and an error. They continued to pound the ball in the third and fourth innings, scoring five more runs to top off at 13.
‘We took it to Dartmouth [in the second game],’ Hayes said.
Alley started the barrage with a solo homer, her second in just as many days, as senior Tiffany Finateri followed up with a two-run double. Third baseman Josey Mendez brought Finateri in with a bunt single. Henneke then hit a two-run triple before Alley ended the inning with a sacrifice fly to score the sophomore pitcher.
Haas and Finateri hit a pair of two-run doubles in the third and fourth innings as Mendez capped the scoring with an RBI single.
Finateri and freshman Erin McDonald combined to pitch five scoreless innings before the game was called in the middle of the fifth because of the eight-run mercy rule. Finateri recorded three strikeouts while giving up four hits. In relief, McDonald surrendered no hits and only two walks.
The Terriers had 13 total hits, while Finateri also dominated in the batter’s box, going 3-3 with four RBIs. McDonald followed suit with a 3-3 performance and one run scored. Four others, including Mendez who went 2-2, each chipped in with two RBIs.
On Saturday, The Terriers picked up an 8-3 win in the first game of their double-header against Harvard before dropping the second, 3-1.
An RBI single from Mendez put BU on the board in the second inning of the first game, scoring McDonald, who finished 2-3 with 3 RBIs herself.
Harvard went up in the fourth by one run after RBIs from Lauren Bettinelli and Louisa Canham, but the Terriers responded with five runs in the fifth. Sparked by McDonald’s first career homerun, a three-run dinger that scored Haas and junior Abbey Pauley, the offensive explosion also included a solo homerun from Finateri in the next at-bat.
‘After Erin McDonald’s home run, we were on that wave,’ Hayes said.
Senior second baseman Kristin Knesek also hit an RBI double in the final inning of the game to give the Terriers their eighth score of the day.
Again, BU pounded out 13 hits while McDonald and Finateri, who also went 3-4 in the game, teamed up again, this time to hold Harvard to only three earned runs on five hits.
However, in the second game, the Crimson struck fast in the first inning, scoring three runs to put them up for good. Alley provided the only run for Boston University in the seventh inning with her third home run in five games, this one a solo shot.
Finateri struggled against Harvard, lasting only one-third of an inning after allowing three runs on three hits and two walks, one of which coming when the bases were loaded. Henneke finished the last five and two-third innings of the game. She held Harvard scoreless while giving up four hits and striking out two.
The Terriers were rained out on Sunday, where they were scheduled to play Boston College. No date has been set for the make-up, but they have a game today at Central Connecticut State University.
‘If we perform like we should [against Central Connecticut], we should come up with a win,’ Hayes said.
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