The Boston University softball team takes a break from its tough conference schedule to take on two Beantown rivals this week, playing Green Line rival Boston College on Wednesday and Harvard University on Thursday. Both games will be held at 4 p.m. at the BU Softball Field.
A win over the Eagles (15-28) could be the icing on the Terriers’ (34-15) regular-season cake. With the second spot in the conference and a playoff berth all but locked up, the Terriers may need to be careful not to look too far into their future and ignore tomorrow’s game.
That may be a hard thing to do considering BC has not put together much of a season up to this point. The Eagles are second to last in the ACC. The last time these two teams played, BU banged out an emphatic 5-0 win on Chestnut Hill.
The Terriers should not have to worry about the Eagle pitching staff, which is one of the worst in its conference. BC’s Taylor Peyton and Morgan Kidd have a combined 3.33 ERA. As long as BU can get its offense started, as is it has for most of its season, the Terriers should be able to score at least a few runs.
The Crimson (26-15) could pose a greater challenge to the Terriers. Second in the Ivy League North Division, Harvard’s team has posted some respectable numbers this season. Freshman Rachel Brown’s first year pitching for the Crimson has been a good one. Brown has a 16-6 record with a 1.41 ERA and 203 strikeouts.
BU could be on the verge of one of its best finishes in a few seasons.’ The Terriers have built up a lot of momentum coming into their two-game homestand this week.
Over the weekend, BU swept the University of Vermont in three games, all but solidifying its second-place standing in the America East. The sweep put the Terriers in a great position for the conference playoffs.
With the playoff race so close, BU needed a solid set of wins to give itself a boost over conference opponents like current leader Stony Brook University and the University at Albany.
The Terriers are now just one win away from a share of the conference lead. With Stony Brook and Albany set to square off in an upcoming series, all BU has to do is beat last-place Binghamton University this weekend to hold onto the No. 2 spot. The Bearcats have amassed just one conference win this season and seven wins overall. They should pose little challenge to the surging Terriers.
Last weekend’s performance against Vermont showed that the Terriers are playing some of their best softball of the season and are set to take a good run at their non-conference opponents this week.
Redshirt junior Cassidi Hardy and junior Megan Currier led from the mound against the Catamounts, helping the Terriers earn two shutouts. The Terriers then posted an 11-2 shellacking of Vermont on Sunday.
Her career appearances record, which she set on Sunday, could be the cap to Hardy’s best regular season of her career as a Terrier. Although overshadowed somewhat by Hardy, Currier had her top performance of the season last weekend, allowing just one Catamount on base with a walk.
If the pair can bring this precision to this week’s games, the Terriers could be set to pad their already respectable overall record.
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