The Boston University softball team continued to struggle through its season as it dropped all three of its weekend games against the United States Military Academy.
The games were supposed to be home games for the Terriers (8-23, 1-7 Patriot League), but poor field conditions forced Saturday’s games to be played at Wheaton College, and Sunday’s games were moved to Boston College’s field.
“We knew ahead of time what was happening, not knowing if the field would be ready,” said BU coach Kathryn Gleason. “It was a short trip, so it was not so bad. We’re just thankful for opportunity to play.”
The problem for the Terriers thus far in the 2015 season is that they cannot seem to put together a complete game. It seems as though in each game, there is a facet missing, whether it be pitching, hitting or defense.
In the first game against the Black Knights (18-19, 8-4 Patriot League), it was the offense that could not get things going as the Terriers dropped the game 4-0. Both Army pitcher Caroline Smith and BU junior pitcher Melanie Russell had complete games on the afternoon. Each pitcher let up six hits and walked three batters. The key was where the hits were distributed.
The Black Knights cashed in all of their four runs in the second inning on a grand slam by third baseman Kasey McCravey. Three of the team’s hits and one of its walks came in that inning.
For the Terriers, they never gained any traction in the game, registering only six hits.
The second game was a flip of the script as the Terriers put up 10 runs, but lost 13-10. The star of the game for either team was BU sophomore catcher Gabi Martinez. She tied a BU record for RBI with seven in the game, including two three-RBI doubles. Coming into the day, Martinez had 13 RBI in 28 games, so she produced more than half of her full season output in just one game.
“Offensively, we’re coming around. Gabi had an incredible day. She really stepped up,” Gleason said. “I really think we’re starting to click. The key is starting better on the mound. We spend a lot of our time digging ourselves out of a hole.”
The problem in this game was the Terriers’ pitching. Sophomore Makinna Akers started the game for BU, but lasted only four innings after allowing seven runs, although only four of those were earned. Russell, who was pitching in her second game of the day and did not get the same effective results from game one, replaced her. In three innings, she let up six earned runs on nine hits to close out the day for BU.
“Melanie did a great job against University of Massachusetts Lowell, and I think she’s starting to get comfortable and she felt good,” Gleason said. “Melanie and Makinna have to step up and help us out. Moving forward as we get healthier, Mel gives us a good presence, and we just have to start having a good presence. We develop a presence longer in the game, but first inning is most important.”
Smith again started the game for Army and posted worse results than in Saturday’s initial contest. She let up nine earned runs in 4.1 innings before sophomore Kristen West came in and shut the Terriers down. Over 2.2 innings, BU could only muster one run on five hits and could not overcome the deficit.
The last game of the series was a little different, as BU could not rally back to overcome the Black Knight lead and lost 6-3. Russell was on the mound again, and she gave five innings, letting up six runs before Akers came in and pitched two scoreless frames.
The Terriers got two runs in the bottom of the fifth, capitalizing on a Black Knight error, but could not put up a run in the seventh inning.
Going forward, the Terriers will need to improve. If they have any shot of repeating as Patriot League Champions, they will need to get back some of their momentum from the 2014 season.
“The girls are just trying to stay as positive and upbeat as they can,” Gleason said. “They’re seeing the improvements we’re making. I think we finally found a lineup to be consistent with. I’m excited that we’re finally practicing on our field. We need to practice to get better. We need to improve in hitting, pitching and defense.”
