With the gorgeous weather yesterday, members of the University of Delaware softball team might have thought that, going into its rematch with BU, the fates were looking down on them, giving the team a new life to possibly pull out a doubleheader sweep of its own.
It’s too bad the fates seem to play favorites when it comes to who will be victorious at Malvern Field this season.
The Terriers remained undefeated at home, picking up where they left off on Saturday with another doubleheader sweep of Delaware, 3-1 and 5-0.
“We did everything right today,” said BU coach Amy Hayes. “Defensively, we didn’t make any errors. … We were aggressive on the base paths, and we hit the ball hard.”
BU raced out to a quick start in the second game, going up 1-0 in the bottom of the first on an RBI single from senior starter Robyn King, plating freshman center fielder Abbey Pauley.
King was also the beneficiary of the home run ball, as sophomore Nichole Kurker blasted a solo shot to right center field to extend the Terrier lead to 2-0. Up 3-0 in the sixth, the Terriers broke the game open when sophomore left fielder Tiffany Finateri crushed a two-run homer to straight-away center field to cap the scoring at 5-0.
King (6-1) again went the distance for the Terriers, allowing six hits and striking out 10 for the win. In just under 16 innings of work in the series, King did not allow a single run and struck out 26 Delaware batters.
It looks like King is trying to start a trend of commanding pitching performances, as sophomore Robyn Horrick followed suit in the opening game of the doubleheader with a masterful outing. Horrick (6-5) gave up just one earned run in seven innings of work, allowing eight hits while striking out a season-high 12 Blue Hen batters.
BU got all the offense it needed in the bottom of the first, as Horrick and sophomore shortstop Kristin Knesek each notched RBI singles to give the Terriers a 3-0 lead. Delaware would cut the lead to two in the top of the sixth inning, when Carolyn Wasilewski scored on a Lauren Mark RBI double to center field. But that was as close as the Blue Hens would come, as Horrick shut them down the rest of the way.
The four-game series sweep of Delaware could not have come at a better time for the Terriers. After starting the weekend near the bottom of the pile in the America East conference, BU (16-11, 5-3 America East) has now jumped into sole possession of fourth place.
“It was a huge sweep of Delaware,” Hayes said. “They’re a tough, scrappy team. … But the girls stood up to them.”
The Terriers will look to go a perfect 9-0 at home tomorrow afternoon when they take on the Crusaders of the College of the Holy Cross.
The team will then embark on a five-game road trip before returning home next weekend to battle another conference foe in Towson University.
Thus, this weekend’s sweep was crucial not only in terms of conference standings, but, more importantly, it fuses a needed dose of confidence into a team that took its time coming around and playing to its fullest potential this season.
“We had that confidence in Raleigh [Triangle Classic Tournament] … but when you get stuck inside for so long, it takes its toll on the mental attitudes of the players,” Hayes said. “By getting outside … the consistency is coming back.
“And now with the return of [Tiffany] King, the pitching staff will be able to set the tone down the stretch.”
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