With the brutal New England winter seemingly over, the Boston University softball team was finally able to begin Patriot League play on Wednesday afternoon against Lehigh University.
After nearly three weeks without a game under their belts, the Terriers (6-18, 0-2 Patriot League) showed signs of rust in their double header against the Mountain Hawks (21-3, 5-0 Patriot League) as Lehigh came away with the sweep on the day, winning 9-1 and 11-1 in six and five innings, respectively. Wednesday was rough for both starting pitching and fielding, but relief pitching proved to be a bright spot in an otherwise lackluster showing from BU.
In both games, the Mountain Hawks’ offense took off as early as the first inning. In game one, they put runs on the board in the first with authority. After allowing a single and two walks, junior pitcher Lauren Hynes let up a grand slam to junior Jessica Calvini and was replaced after the next batter by junior pitcher Makinna Akers. Coming into Wednesday, Akers’ 4.78 ERA in 48.1 innings was second on the team, behind only freshman pitcher Sydni Overly, but by the end of the day, she would improve on that figure.
Upon taking the circle, Akers got the first batter she faced to hit into the double play, stopping the bleeding in the first. She would then go on for another five innings, during which she allowed only one extra base hit and one earned run — off the bat of Mountain Hawk first baseman Casey Waggy — which didn’t come until the sixth.
BU coach Kathryn Gleason said she was pleased with Akers’ relief stint.
“Makinna came in and did a great job in the first inning of shutting them down,” she said. “She did a good job of getting ground balls, even later in the game.”
By the time she had struck out designated player Vicky Lattanzio to start the final frame, Akers had retired 11 straight batters. Three more runs were scored off Akers in the sixth, all of them unearned, and she would drop her ERA 30 points — from 4.78 to 4.47 — in a relatively effective relief appearance.
The Terriers’ two games on Wednesday weren’t even close. Lehigh’s offense put on a clinic, but defensive miscues piled up for the Terriers throughout the day and cost BU more embarrassment than was necessary. Altogether, eight of the 20 runs the Mountain Hawks plated — nearly half — were unearned.
Gleason was not happy with her team after its poor defensive outing.
“It’s concerning,” she said. “Especially since we didn’t have to make extraordinary plays to make them.”
While Gleason emphasized the team’s inability to make some routine plays, she did make note of some times when the defense shined.
“I think some of the [plays] were routine, and then in some aspects, we made some great plays,” she said. “[Sophomore outfielder] Mandy [Fernandez] had some great plays in the outfield, and [sophomore centerfielder] Moriah [Connolly] and [freshman outfielder] Emma [Wong] as well. I just don’t think we’re making the standard, routine plays.”
It started early for the Terriers, too. In the second inning of game one, an error by freshman shortstop Jilee Schanda allowed Mountain Hawk left fielder Nicole Yozzo to reach second base and eventually reach home. In the sixth inning, errors literally cost the Terriers the game. Four errors from four different Terriers — Schanda, Akers, Connolly and senior first baseman Kendra Meadows — resulted in three unearned runs, triggering the scoring limit, which cut the contest short.
In game two, the Terriers got off to an appropriate start. Yozzo, the Mountain Hawks’ very first batter, reached base on a fielding error from junior pitcher Melanie Russell. She, along with 10 other runners, would come around to score in the bottom of the first inning. Additional errors from Schanda and Connolly would not help the Terriers’ cause. Schanda was actually benched in the fourth inning after her third error of the day.
Despite Gleason’s frustration, she expressed hope in her team moving forward.
“I don’t think I’m worried about it,” she said. “I’m just frustrated about it, and I know they are as well. I have confidence in all of them each and every game and each and every play. It’s a matter of them having to trust themselves and trust their teammates. That’s something we’ve talked about all year, and today just wasn’t the day to pick up the ball.”
