Who said pitchers couldn’t hit?
Well, it certainly wasn’t the Boston University softball team. In a doubleheader sweep of the University of Rhode Island yesterday, the Terriers (27-17, 15-1 America East) saw two of their star pitchers take control with their bats as well as their arms.
Sophomore Julie Henneke and freshman Erin McDonald each picked up a complete-game victory against the visiting Rams, (17-22, 6-8 Atlantic 10) while also combining for seven hits, five RBIs, three runs and two walks at the plate in the twinbill.
In game one, Henneke the pitcher, that is rolled over her opponents, striking out a season-high 14 batters while allowing just three hits. The southpaw only gave out three free passes in her seven innings of work. Still, BU coach Amy Hayes saw that her sophomore hurler did have some problems out there.
‘Technically, Julie really didn’t have that good of a game today,’ Hayes said. ‘She got behind on a lot of hitters; she hit a couple girls [two in total]. But any time someone doesn’t have a very good day and strikes out 14, we’ll take it.’
These are the type of standards that come with a player who boasts a 1.49 earned run average, 113 strikeouts and six shutouts (leading BU in all these categories), not to mention a .312 batting average and 22 RBIs. The victory was Henneke’s 11th on the season.
McDonald took over in the nightcap, and although she ran into some trouble in the first inning, she settled down the rest of the way to put up six strikeouts and only one walk. The freshman ended the game by retiring the last 11 batters she faced to pick up her 11th straight win, matching Henneke for tops on the team.
That same game, however, she exploded for three RBIs along with two hits and a walk at the plate. The Illinois native currently leads the team with a .362 batting average and a .483 slugging percentage.
‘[McDonald] went out there and threw a great game today,’ Hayes said. ‘But she was phenomenal at the plate. As a freshman, not much seems to bother her. She’s a real asset to the team right now.’
Along with senior Tiffany Finateri, who sports a 2.43 ERA and 16 RBIs, the Terrier pitching staff poses a threat on both offense and defense. Together, the trio leads the squad in five offensive categories, including doubles (Henneke, 10) and on-base percentage (McDonald, .426).
Still, with the America East Tournament approaching, BU will need its three pitchers to keep stepping it up in the circle. But with players like sophomore shortstop Jamie Haas (who is the leader in 11 offensive categories) and junior outfielder Abbey Pauley (team leader in triples with six and runs with 26) in the batting order, they can afford to have an off-day every once in a while. This is especially true when an off-day like Henneke’s today – means a 14 strikeout shutout.
And although some stats don’t make it into the box score, the Terriers’ defense has held strong for its pitchers throughout the entire season. The scarlet and white have the best fielding percentage in the conference at .972, and the team has committed the fewest errors with 34.
But BU still has five games left one with the University of Massachusetts at Amherst tomorrow and four with the University at Albany over the weekend and before anyone can start thinking about postseason accolades, the squad must finish as regular season champions first.
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