Young ace Cassidi Hardy proves she’s no rookie in three-game weekend

With pitcher Brittany Detwiler out with an ankle sprain, the University of Vermont probably wasn’t expecting the Terriers to have another ace up their sleeve. But freshman Cassidi Hardy fit that exact bill, stepping in to make all three starts this weekend and going 2-1 to improve her overall record to 7-8.

After seeing her 22-inning shutout streak end at the hands of a potent Boston College offense Thursday, Hardy came out Saturday to start a new streak, recording a 3-0 complete game shutout in the front end of a Catamount doubleheader. But Mother Nature had other ideas.

The second game was delayed in the third inning due to rain, but after 30 minutes, Hardy returned to the mound for one more inning before the game was finally suspended until the following day.

Hardy pitched the fourth in the wind and rain, giving up two runs but ultimately earning her three outs. Vermont pitcher Alison Dagget struggled to keep the ball over the plate in her bout with the weather and walked Molly Gallagher before the game was called.

Hardy struck out six of the 21 batters she saw in the first game, allowing only three base hits. Game two of the series saw Hardy give up three earned runs but still garnering the victory thanks to the six runs scored by her teammates.

“You’ve got to get these tight games too, it makes you stronger,” Hardy said.

Hardy walked just two batters in the second affair, striking out eight. She allowed seven hits, three of them coming in the rain-soaked fourth inning.

When the two teams faced off for the third time Sunday, Hardy had already faced 48 Vermont hitters, enough for her opponent to finally get a sense of her pitches. The last game, a 5-4 BU loss, was Hardy’s roughest start in weeks. But Hardy would not use fatigue as an excuse for the loss.

“When you’re working off adrenaline, you don’t get tired,” Hardy said. “I had to put everything I had into everything.”

With Detwiler out between four and six weeks, Hardy now has the responsibility of being the ace to keep her team going strong and putting up W’s.

“It’s not any extra pressure on me, I know I’m going to get the innings, and I’m excited,” Hardy said. “Of course it would be a lot better if we had Brittany out there, too.”

The sheer number of innings coming up for Hardy means she probably won’t be enjoying another 22-inning shutout streak, but that doesn’t mean the wins won’t keep coming, especially with the defense holding strong behind her.

“Brooke [Hudson] is on fire, everyone is making the great plays,” Hardy said.

Rychcik’s pitching options behind Hardy include sophomore Melody Popravak, who sports a 13.94 ERA this season in 10 innings pitched, and freshman centerfielder Shayne Lotito. Lotito, the team’s leader in hits and runs, is a former pitcher from Acton, Calif.

“I know she can throw strikes. She has pitched down in California, against pretty good competition, she does things right mechanically,” Rychcik said. “She will pitch sometime this year, I am sure of it. I’m confident she has pitched enough in her career, you just don’t pick up pitching in a day, it’s something you work at as a kid, and it’s a hard motion to learn.”

Lotito and Popravak will be expected to eat up some innings to give Hardy some more rest.

“[Cassidi] is going to get stronger logging these innings, by the end of the season she will tire down,” Rychcik said, “but she’ll get some more strength and pick up some more speed and just be even sharper I think once it’s all said and done.”

Expectations are the same for this Terrier team, which was ranked second in preseason conference polling. The team expects to reach the playoffs — Rychcik won’t have anything less — but the journey will be different from what was planned.

“It’s going to be game-by-game, week-by-week,” Rychcik said. “We’re going have to be a little bit creative. Whoever is out on the field is expected to perform, period.”