BU tries to ‘fourd’ Stony Brook

The Boston University softball team opens up America East play this weekend with two doubleheaders against Stony Brook University, one on Sunday and another on Monday. As defending conference champs, the Terriers were picked as the pre-season favorite to claim the crown again, but they first must get by the Seawolves if they have any hopes of repeating.

‘They [Stony Brook] are a real talented team,’ said head coach Amy Hayes. ‘They are kind of a new team this year, so I don’t really know what to expect from them.’

One thing the Terriers can expect, however, is they won’t have to deal with graduate Stephanie Poetzsch, Stony Brook’s dominant pitcher from a year ago. The three times Poetzsch took to the circle against the Terriers (9-15, 0-0 America East) last season, she pitched 22 innings, allowing only 16 hits and four earned runs. She also struck out 25 batters while going the distance in every contest, one game being an extra inning affair.

‘They don’t seem to be dominating the mound as they did last year,’ Hayes said.

En route to the regular season title last year, BU took three of four from the Seawolves (13-17, 3-1). The only game the Terriers dropped was a 1-0 loss in which Poetzsch rang up 13 batters via strikeout. In the other games though, BU sophomore Julie Henneke took control. In a 3-2 extra-inning win, the Florida-native went 3-4 with two home runs, a triple, two RBIs and three runs scored. She also pitched three perfect innings while striking out six to close the game.

In an 8-0 Terrier shellacking, Henneke carried the team again to victory, striking out 13 in a complete game performance. She also went 2-2 with an RBI and two runs scored. In the fourth and final game of the season series between the two clubs, sophomore Jamie Haas provided all the offense needed with an RBI triple as BU prevailed 1-0.

As for this year, Hayes is hoping to ride the winning wave that has carried the team in the past six of seven games.

And despite the recent dominance of the BU pitching staff, Hayes emphasized a team approach if the Terriers hope to take all four games at the Boston University Softball Field.

‘We are not relying on any one person in particular. I want us to play as a team,’ she said. ‘We just have to keep swinging the bats.’

If anything else, BU has history on its side for its first conference games of the 2003 season. Under Hayes, the team has gone 40-8 in conference play, for a winning percentage of .833. At home, they have been even more dominant, winning 28 of 30 in the past two years, including a 15-0 mark two seasons ago.

Recently, the Terriers have been led by a variety of players. In addition to freshman Erin McDonald, who combined with senior Tiffany Finateri for a no-hitter on Tuesday and pitched a complete game two-hitter on Wednesday, Henneke is coming off a week where she compiled an earned run average of 0.00 over 12.2 innings, earning her Pitcher of the Week honors in the America East.

Junior Abbey Pauley has been swinging the aluminum well lately, going 1-3 with two RBIs against Central Connecticut State University on Tuesday and 2-3 with two runs against Providence College on Wednesday. Unfortunately, BU might have to go without the services of freshman Liz Alley this weekend, as the first baseman injured her knee earlier in the week. Hayes said she is not sure how serious the injury may be, but she hopes Alley will return against Stony Brook.

The Seawolves are led by a trio of sophomores, including Stephanie DiBiase, who leads the team in batting average (.435) and hits (44), and sophomore Kristen Brust, who is second in average (.369) and first in home runs (7) and RBIs (19). Jane Stein also provides some power with her five home runs and 17 RBIs. Stony Brook, one of the younger teams in the conference, has no seniors on the roster and only one junior.

The doubleheaders, originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, have been moved to Sunday and Monday.