The Boston University softball team traveled to Pennsylvania for a three-game set against Lafayette College this weekend. The Terriers rolled Lafayette with a 3-0 sweep thanks to an offensive explosion that outscored the Leopards 25-1.
BU (28-17, 11-1 Patriot League) head coach Ashley Waters said scoring runs takes pressure off the team’s pitching staff.
“I think it’s really difficult to beat any team three times,” Waters said. “Doing what we need to do offensively, it just takes pressure away.”
Freshman outfielder Aliyah Huerta-Leipner was a one-woman wrecking crew over the weekend hitting three home runs and tallying six hits and seven RBIs against the Leopards (7-31-1, 1-11 Patriot League).
“In the leadoff position, our expectation for ‘AJ’ is to find a way to get on base,” Waters said. “The power numbers are not expected from us, but we’ll take it when we can get it.”
Game 1: BU 14, Lafayette 1
In and out of rain delays, the Terriers scored early and often in Game 1 of the weekend series. BU put up eight runs in the first two innings and went on to a 14-1 victory in five innings.
Senior catcher Alex Heinen hit her 21st career home run, blasting a three-run zinger over the left field fence. Huerta-Leipner and senior infielder Madi Killebrew also contributed to the home run derby with two-run homers in the second and third innings.
Sophomore pitcher Ali DuBois (19-8) took home the win, pitching four innings and surrendering one run to the Leopards.
Game 2: BU 7, Lafayette 0
The Terrier offense played strong again Saturday evening, but this time, it took a few innings to get going.
BU’s offense was quiet until the top of the fourth inning when freshman infielder Nicole Amodio crushed a three-run home run of her own to break the 0-0 tie.
From that point on, it was all Terriers as freshman pitcher Emily Gant (8-7) pitched a complete game shutout and struck out nine Leopards with no walks.
Game 3: BU 4, Lafayette 0
DuBois got the ball for the Terriers for the Easter Sunday matinee and opposed Leopard pitcher Stacy Gordon (3-15).
DuBois did good work for the Terriers once again, as she picked up her 19th victory on the season with a complete-game shutout. Gordon was able to bounce back from the eight runs she gave up during the series’ opening leg.
The Terriers scored early again in the series finale in the top of the second as senior infielder Alexa Ponce scored on senior utility player Analisa Ruff’s RBI single to right field after advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt.
Huerta-Leipner continued to punish the Leopards as she hit her second home run of the weekend with a solo shot in the top of the third.
DuBois rolled through the first three innings, retiring the first 10 batters she faced. With one out in the bottom of the fourth, the Leopards were able to get their first hit of the day with a single down the middle.
Heinen extended the Terriers’ lead to 3-0 in the top of the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly to deep right field, and Amodio scored.
The Leopards began to threaten DuBois in the bottom of the sixth after a leadoff single and then a one-out single to bring the tying run to the plate. However, DuBois was able to extinguish the threat with two fly-outs.
Huerta-Leipner hit another bomb to left-center field in the top of the seventh to continue her strong weekend against Lafayette and to extend the Terriers’ lead to 4-0.
In the bottom of the seventh, DuBois went one-two-three to finish off the sweep of the Leopards and pick up her 19th win of the season.
What’s next
The Terriers return to Boston to play an afternoon doubleheader at home on Tuesday against out-of-conference opponent Dartmouth College.
The Terriers remain in Boston for the upcoming weekend as they play a weekend series against the United States Military Academy, a Patriot League foe.
Waters said Army’s playstyle is like looking in a mirror.
“Army’s scrappy, I always feel like Army reminds me of us,” she said. “They’re really resilient, they just keep coming back at you.”
