Softball encounters mixed results at CSU Tournament

With expectations to win each game of its opening tournaments, a 1-3 start to the season was not the one the Boston University softball team hoped for.

But in the larger picture, the four-game Charlestown Southern University Tournament arguably meant more than just wins and losses. It represented one of the first times BU (1-3) could trade the confines of indoor turf facilities for dirt and grass. More than that, it was the first time Ashley Waters could stand on the bench in her inaugural season as the team’s head coach.

“It’s exciting, any start to a new season, especially this transition with a new coaching staff and a new team,” Waters said. “It was really exciting. But at the end of it, it’s one of those things where we hope to have a better outcome than coming back, obviously, one win, three losses.”

While BU returned with only one win, Waters urged that there were positives to take away from the weekend.

“But for us, in getting out there and just getting to play, I think we progressed and got better legitimately every single game,” she said.

The Terriers kicked off with games against Western Carolina University, Charleston Southern University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. After taking losses in the first three contests of year, BU took home its first victory with an 8-0 win over North Carolina A&T (4-3).

The opening matchup Friday against Western Carolina (8-2) saw the Terriers take an early lead, courtesy of junior left fielder Moriah Connolly. She set the table with a leadoff single, later scoring off an RBI groundout by junior shortstop Brittany Younan.

Senior pitcher Lauren Hynes kept the Catamounts scoreless through the first two innings, but trouble brewed in the third when outfielder Victoria Mariscal ripped a solo home run.

Problems were compounded in the fourth, as the Catamounts tacked on three runs. Before the frame was over, junior pitcher Makinna Akers took over in the circle.

Akers encountered her own difficulties on the mound, allowing five runs, four of those earned. BU could do little to counter against pitcher Lily Hayes, and the Terriers fell 9-1 in a six-inning, mercy-rule shortened affair.

BU took the early lead in the second contest against Charleston Southern (7-1). Younan started the opening inning with an infield single and scored one batter later courtesy of an RBI single by freshman catcher Alex Heinen.

Senior Melanie Russell was tasked with the pitching duties and could not dodge damage, as shortstop Stephanie Bergmann lifted a three-run homer to right field with two outs in the first.

Down four runs in the seventh, junior first baseman Gabi Martinez collected BU’s first home run of the year, a solo shot. That’s as close as BU would get, as the Terriers fell 6-3.

Both teams BU played already had game action under their belts, putting the Terriers at slight disadvantage, according to Waters.

“The pace of the game was a little bit quick,” Waters said, “and for us, I think there was adjusting, and every time we adjusted, it was just a little bit too late.”

The first Saturday matchup pitted BU against Western Carolina, which saw the Terriers’ comeback bid fall just short. Russell started for the second consecutive game and was charged for one run in the first inning, but settled down after that.

Sophomore right fielder Emma Wong gave the offense a jolt in the fourth with a leadoff triple, and when Western Carolina mishandled the cutoff, Wong raced home and scored. The sophomore factored in the fifth again, as her two-out single plated two, the latter of which scored on another Catamount error.

Western Carolina tied things up in the bottom of the fifth, but BU took the lead back in the sixth when Hynes scored. The Catamounts, however, fought back and regained their lead for good in the sixth inning, taking a 5-4 edge that stood as the final score.

But as luck would have it in the finale of the tournament, BU walked away with its first victory over North Carolina A&T.

Despite allowing four walks, sophomore pitcher Sydni Overly struck out three and pitched four shutout innings for the Terriers. From there, the offense handled the rest.

Wong acted as the catalyst again, reaching base four times and scoring on each occasion. Hynes came in for Overly and came through with her bat, adding a two-run single during the fifth inning.

Dealing with injuries that limited Overly to just four starts in 2015, she successfully recovered from offseason surgery to record her first collegiate win.

To have Overly’s long journey back to the circle culminate in a win spoke a lot about her character, Waters said.

“There’s a genuine passion, something I love,” Waters said of Overly. “She wants the ball. She went through surgery and been with the constant recovery. For her to get back on the field, it was definitely kind of emotional, in a sense, because I don’t think she thought she would ever pitch again.”

Looking ahead to next weekend’s Florida Atlantic Invitational, Waters said this week’s practices will be all about cleaning up the little things.

“We’re thrilled to go back down to Florida,” Waters said. “It’s really a great opportunity to play these preseason tournaments, these preseason games because develop us and get us ready for Patriot League play.”