Matched up against the Patriot League’s most consistent squad, the Boston University softball team left the diamond Wednesday afternoon with a share of the spoils.
Carried by the arm of senior pitcher Melanie Russell and a balanced assault on two Mountain Hawk (31-12, 9-2 Patriot League) aces, the Terriers (20-21, 6-5 PL) won the 1 p.m. outing 2-0, only to fall 4-2 in the 3 p.m. fixture. BU’s winning streak reached seven games after getting the best of pitcher Christine Campbell, but an eighth inning explosion in the second encounter saw that run snapped.
While BU head coach Ashley Waters hoped for a better result as the sun slowly set, she was overall pleased with how underclassmen and upperclassmen alike performed.
“I think these kids are showing up knowing that they’re going to score runs, knowing that they’re going to make plays and trusting in our pitchers to actually do their job and keep a low-scoring game,” the first-year head coach said. “I’m happy with where we’re at right now. We’re playing our best ball going into the end of this, and that’s exactly where we needed to be.”
As the first game’s scoreline indicates, fireworks were few and far between, and Russell was a major reason for that. Fresh off being named Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I Co-National Pitcher of the Week, the San Diego native fanned 11 Mountain Hawk batters, even when jams and hitter-friendly counts arose.
Her showing also caused six Lehigh runners to be left on base, and she quieted one of the Patriot League’s top hitters in senior Morgan Decker.
“I think Mel did a great job, and obviously they only had two hits against her,” Waters said. “I think she had 11 strikeouts, so that puts us in a position offensively to kind of be a little bit more relaxed. [The] defense has been doing a great job lately, so there’s a consistency where they trust themselves right now in the defensive end.”
Outside of Russell, BU’s bats came alive on two separate occasions. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the second, freshman second baseman Emily Morrow’s lobbed hit to center field brought home sophomore right fielder Emma Wong. An insurance run was added in the bottom of the sixth, as Wong again rounded home, this time the benefactor of a line drive by freshman catcher Alex Heinen that was laced into the right field gap.
Russell struck out two batters in the seventh to put Lehigh to bed, and she expressed after the fact that all areas were clicking.
“I think we put all three components together,” Russell said. “We had pitching, we had defense, we had offense and just approached it one batter at a time. Having that mentality definitely helped.”
Come the second game, it was the defending Patriot League champion’s turn to get into second gear. Senior pitcher Lauren Hynes received the starting nod, but the top of the fourth brought about trouble. Junior Vicky Lattanzio and Jessica Calvini both recorded RBI hits, giving the Mountain Hawks a lead they wouldn’t ever relinquish.
BU fought back in the bottom of the fifth when junior shortstop Brittany Younan drove home sophomore third baseman Kaitlin Sahlinger with the bases loaded, and Younan eventually scored on a wild pitch, but it was too little too late.
Come the eighth inning, Lehigh outfielder Katie Schultz drove in two runs. The heart of BU’s order fell quiet, leaving Waters slightly disappointed at what could have been.
“We just couldn’t string anything together, so those high-pressure situations, we had a lot of times where our big hitters were up and they didn’t execute,” Waters said. “That’s where we need them most, and some days it’s your day and some days it’s not, so I hope this weekend, it’s everyone’s day.”
However, with series against the College of the Holy Cross and Colgate University still upcoming, the Terriers sit fourth in the conference and have ample opportunity to cement their playoff claim.
Those results could fall either way, but Russell urged that after splitting the Lehigh doubleheader, things are looking up for a Terrier squad that sputtered out of the gate in 2016.
“Everyone is stepping up and recognizing the role that they need to play on the team,” Russell said. “It’s a good time for everything to come together, so we’re looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Jonathan's a New Englander who writes about sports, features and politics. He currently covers men's hockey at BU, worked as Sports Editor during the spring 2016 semester and is on the FreeP's Board of Directors. Toss him a follow on Twitter at @jonathansigal.
