Three loses in a row has not made the Boston University softball team change its approach or focus for the upcoming week.
In fact, head coach Ashley Waters said BU is looking to keep things simple to ensure it gets back into the win column. Even with rival Boston College making the three-mile trip to the BU Softball Field on Wednesday, Waters said her team is preparing the same way it would for any other opponent.
“It’s always cool to play the schools in Boston,” Waters said. “For us, we’re excited to go out. We approach really everybody the same way. It’s just a matter of getting a midweek game in and getting ourselves back to work and try to figure out stuff before Lehigh [University].”
Waters and BU (11-15, 0-3 Patriot League) can figure things out and make the necessary adjustments against BC (18-13) on Wednesday at 4 p.m., the first game in a seven-game home stand.
In their first Patriot League action of 2016, the Terriers played in two one-run games last weekend against the United States Military Academy, but Army (18-11, 3-0 Patriot League) swept the three-game series.
BU had the chance to salvage a win on the final day of the series, but Black Knights’ pitcher Caroline Smith hit a two-run walk-off double off junior pitcher Makinna Akers to clinch.
“I think for us, it’s a matter of continuing to stay consistent,” Waters said. “We didn’t do a great job, we didn’t play our best. When it comes to conference play, you need to play your best. Army’s a good team. They did exactly what they needed to do.”
In spite of the results, there were some positives in the three-game set. Freshman first baseman Alex Heinen hit her second home run of the season and now has a team-best 21 RBIs and a .507 slugging percentage.
Junior shortstop Brittany Younan contributed at the plate as well, collecting four hits, two RBIs and two runs scored during the weekend at West Point.
“There’s consistency with them. That’s the part you recognize every game that you go into,” Waters said of Heinen and Younan. “Whether they have a poor first at-bat or a great first at-bat, you’re going to get something out of them that game. I think that’s the bright spot.”
Senior Lauren Hynes pitched the majority of the innings against Army, so Waters said she will get a rest. Accordingly, senior Melanie Russell, sophomore Sydni Overly and Akers should all time on the mound Wednesday afternoon.
Similar to BU, the Eagles have multiple players contributing throughout their lineup, as BC’s team batting average sits at .269. What separates the two teams, though, is the power BC brings.
BC has combined for 32 doubles and 21 home runs, with junior Tatiana Cortez leading the way with eight home runs and senior Jessie Daulton launching five of her own.
Facing such a potent lineup might seem like an arduous task, but Waters said her team’s success likely comes down to making the right pitches in the right spots in timely situations.
“For us it seems pretty simple, but if our pitchers can execute their spots, legitimately just hit their spots, we can work around some of their hitters and get some of their big hitters to hit ground balls and fly balls,” Waters said. “It’s a matter of not missing, and you can’t miss with a team like BC because they’re going to make it hurt. They’re going to execute.”
In the circle, the Eagles boast two strong arms that have at least 90 innings pitched and a sub-2.90 ERA. Sophomore Jessica Dreswick has pitched to the tune of a 2.22 ERA while holding opponents to a .242 batting average, in spite of having only 38 strikeouts.
Countering Dreswick’s pitch-to-contact style, sophomore Allyson Frei has been more of a power pitcher, striking out 96 hitters in 94.2 innings of work. In all, Frei has compiled a 10-8 record with two shutouts and one save in her second season at BC.
If BU can cut down on mental and physical errors, Waters said, her team can overcome the Eagles and get its 12th win of the season.
“They’re a strong team,” Waters said of BC. “They have the ability to hit for power, but they also have speed. For us, it’s just a matter of playing defense. They’re going to put the ball in play, and they’re going to execute. We just obviously have to make the least mistakes [Wednesday].”
Andrew is one of the men's hockey beat writers for The Daily Free Press. He was Sports Editor during the Spring 2014 semester and has also interned with NESN, WEEI.com and SportsNet New York. Follow him on Twitter at @squidthoughts for sports-related tweets and random quotes from "The Office," or you can contact him via email at arbattif@bu.edu.
