The Boston University softball team has won four of its last five contests, one of its best stretches of the 2015 season, and will hope to keep up the consistency as it has three games on the schedule at home this week.
The Terriers’ (12-24, 4-8 Patriot League) first stretch of the 2015 schedule was a rough one. The first three weeks of the 2015 season left them winless and pitted the team against ranked opponents in five games. Since their March 7 game against Long Island University Brooklyn, however, the Terriers have gone just over .500 at 12-11 and completed their first sweep of the season this past weekend against conference opponent Lafayette College.
In their weekend series against the Leopards (3-31, 1-14 Patriot League), the Terriers got the jump on offense early, scoring three runs in the first two innings. Behind the big bats of sophomore catcher Gabi Martinez and senior second baseman Emily Felbaum, who homered in the fifth and seventh, respectively, and a dominant one-run outing from sophomore pitcher Makinna Akers, BU ran away with the victory in game one.
In the second game, Akers and the Terrier defense were able to hold on in support of junior pitcher Melanie Russell, who allowed just three hits in four innings in her third victory of the season. Game three was a run-rule victory, as three RBI each from Felbaum and junior pitcher Lauren Hynes were able to give the team the sweep over the Leopards.
While BU coach Kathryn Gleason acknowledged that the whole team is really clicking, she said the keys to consistency lie in the rotation and the top of the lineup.
“It really just starts on the mound,” she said. “I think that’s where it’s started and where it has started with Makinna and Mel, and offensively … starting with [sophomore center fielder] Moriah [Connolly], [freshman right fielder] Emma [Wong] and [sophomore shortstop] Brittany Younan leading off. They’re the key to setting the table and getting us going.”
Although the Terriers’ bats are getting good swings in of late, scoring 25 runs in their last three games, plating runs against Dartmouth College, their opponent on Tuesday, may prove to be difficult.
Dartmouth (21-14) is in the midst of a successful 2015 campaign. In its last 14 games, the team has won 13 times, with a third of those victories being of the run-rule variety. They’ve also scored five or more runs in 11 of those games and held opponents scoreless nine times. Dartmouth’s 2.97 team ERA is much lower than the Terriers’ staff ERA of 4.91.
In order for the Terriers to emerge victorious against a team that’s as unflappable as Dartmouth has been of late, Gleason said run support and solid defense will need to continue.
“We played them last year and we had a tight game with them, so I know they’re a powerful offense,” said Gleason on Dartmouth. “I think they’re quite similar to Lehigh [University]. And again, I think it all starts on the mound and limiting our walks and limiting the big inning, because we can score the runs, so we just need our pitchers and our defense to give the offense the opportunity to get going and break through.”
The following day, the Terriers will face the University of Massachusetts Amherst in an afternoon doubleheader. Following a three-game sweep of St. Bonaventure University this past weekend, the Minutemen (14-20) have won each of their last four games.
Dominant pitching has been one of the keys to UMass’ success lately. Freshman Meg Colleran and redshirt senior Caroline Raymond have each earned two victories in those four games, with Colleran allowing just six runs in 14 innings and Raymond allowing no runs in 14 as well. Offensively, senior Bridget Lemire has been an RBI machine as of late, with seven RBI and two home runs in UMass’ current win streak. While they’ve been winning, they do let up runs, unlike Dartmouth. Three of their four latest victories have come by one run.
“We’re just excited to finally be at home,” said Gleason of the week’s games. “[They’re] coming off a great weekend facing Lafayette, [and] I think they have a lot of confidence going into the week. And it’s extra special to play at home as well.”
