Boston University softball was eliminated from the NCAA tournament after losing 7-1 to Campbell University in Stillwater, Oklahoma Saturday. The Terriers (36-4) were limited to one run in each game of the Stillwater Regional and lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.
BU opened the weekend with a 3-1 loss against Mississippi State University (35-25) Friday at Cowgirl Stadium. Saturday’s elimination game against Campbell (28-19) was the Terriers’ last chance to advance in the NCAA tournament.
“We’ve just got to execute,” BU head coach Ashley Waters said in a press conference following the loss to Mississippi State. “We had some base running mistakes, we had an infield error, and we missed a cut. Great teams and teams that compete every single weekend at a really high level are going to take advantage of that.”
BU opened scoring against the Camels with a two-out solo home run to left field from freshman catcher Lauren Nett, her first as a Terrier. Despite knocking five additional hits in the game, the Terriers were not able to plate another run.
Both teams remained quiet until the fourth inning when the Camels erupted to score five runs against BU pitchers senior Ali DuBois and junior Emily Gant. An RBI single from freshman utility player Delaney McDilda opened up scoring for Campbell, bringing redshirt senior utility player Claire Blount in to tie the game.
DuBois then loaded the bases with one out, and Gant entered the game in relief. After pitching to a full count, Gant gave up an RBI single to redshirt junior catcher Morgan Rios to put the Camels ahead. With the bases still loaded, Gant walked redshirt freshman infielder Noemi Cortez to make it 3-1 Campbell.
DuBois reentered the game and got the final two outs of the inning, but a throwing error from senior infielder Patricia Dun at shortstop and another Campbell base hit allowed two more unearned runs to score.
The Terriers made some noise in the bottom of the sixth inning with back-to-back singles from freshman outfielder Lauren Keleher and senior outfielder Jen Horita, but Campbell redshirt freshman pitcher Georgeanna Barefoot induced outs on balls in play to silence the threat.
The Camels scored two unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning against Terrier sophomore pitcher Allison Boaz, who pitched the final two innings for BU.
Campbell went on to lose the second elimination game versus Mississippi State, who in turn lost to No. 5 Oklahoma State University (45-9) in the final game Sunday.
This weekend saw the end of the Terriers’ 18-game win streak — then the second-longest active streak in the country — and DuBois picked up her first losses to end the season at 25-2 and 85 career wins at BU, which is tied for first in program history.
Waters said at the NCAA Softball Regional Press Conference Thursday that no matter the outcome of the tournament, one of her proudest takeaways from the season was the responsibility that her players exhibited off the field during the pandemic.
“The records, the awards, all that stuff is great,” Waters said Thursday. “But to look at their selflessness and the fact that they took care of themselves and one another, that’s pretty special.”
