The Boston University softball team lost its second straight home game yesterday at the BU Softball Field, dropping a 6-0 decision to the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. After losing to Boston College on Wednesday, yesterday’s loss was only BU’s third of the year at home.
The two most recent losses had similar endings because of the Terriers’ inability to generate offense.
“Good pitching is gonna beat good hitting,” said BU coach Shawn Rychcik. “I thought our at-bats today were better than yesterday. We worked the counts a little more. [UMass starter Brandice Balschmiter] threw a lot of first pitch strikes. So, as much as you want to work the count, you can’t when she’s getting ahead of every hitter. She’s a possible All-American and she’s the reason they’re where they are right now.”
The Terriers’ only hits against Balschmiter came at inopportune times, as BU was unable to capitalize on would-be scoring chances. Four Terriers reached base on the afternoon.
With BU (23-15) struggling against Balschmiter, added pressure was placed on the pitching staff. Rychcik had planned on using freshman Kelley Engman, sophomore Megan Currier and junior Cassidi Hardy yesterday in an attempt to keep UMass (28-11) on its toes.
“[UMass] hit some balls hard today,” Rychcik said. “They did a really good job of making our pitchers work. There weren’t a lot of extra base hits, so you know they weren’t hitting them too hard. I thought all three of our pitchers threw fairly decent today.”
Hardy started for the Terriers, pitching the first two-plus innings and allowing three runs on six hits. Problems arose for Hardy in the top of the second, when Carly Normandin hit a triple to right center, plating Carly Morin and Jill Andrews, giving the Minutewomen a 2-0 lead. Hardy pulled it together to end the inning, but served up a home run to Whitney Mollica to begin the third.
“[Cassidi] didn’t allow too many hard hits,” Rychcik said. “She had a hard hit on a 3-0 pitch when she got behind in the count, but other than that, not too many. That [home run] ball was a pretty good pitch. There’s no doubt that pitch was up and in. I talked to Christy [Leath] when I went out to the mound to make a change and she said it was a pretty good pitch.”
After a single to left center, Rychcik summoned Currier.
Currier held down the fort through the third and into the fourth, but ran into trouble in the fifth inning. Lindsay Maroney hit a double to right field, plating Samantha Salato.
Once again, Rychcik thought it was time for a change and called on Engman. The freshman had a rocky start, promptly allowing a two-run single to Morin.
“I think we’re better now than we were coming into today because of that team,” Rychcik said. “They made us better because we had to work defensively. We had to work at the plate to get good at-bats and our pitchers had to work.”