Softball: Terriers Rout Friars in Home Opener
By: David Souza
What started out as a pitcher’s duel turned to an explosion of offense as the Boston University Terriers (9-11) rolled to their fifth straight win in a 10-2 drubbing of the Providence College Friars (10-11). The Terriers, in their first home game of the season, came into the game on a hot streak as they had upended Southern Utah twice, along with Yale, and UC Riverside in the Mizuno Invitational. Providence, in contrast, was still reeling from going 1-2 in the Fordham Tournament, where it was thoroughly decimated by a Rams team that beat them twice by scores of 5-0 and 8-3 respectively.
The scoring opened up in the top of the third inning when a single just past the shortstop plated Vanessa Portillo for the first run of the game. The lead was short lived for the Friars, however, as in the bottom half of the inning, BU’s 1st baseman Alex Heinen, roped a three-run double down the left field line to give the home team a two run lead going into the top of the fourth.
While Providence was able to get a run back in the top half of the next frame thanks in part to a sacrifice fly, the Terriers jumped all over PC starter Christina Ramirez in the bottom of the fourth. The monster inning began with both Lauren Hynes and Jilee Schanada getting hit on back-to-back pitches. Brittany Younan followed that up with an single to centerfield to load the bases when Emma Wong’s infield hit, which grazed off the tip of PC third baseman Kelsi Luttrell’s glove, drove in two runs.
Some mental errors on the part of the Friars’ infielders scored two more BU runs, as a botched fielders choice and well timed bunt by Emily Morrow made the score 7-2. With two on and only one out, Heinen once again stepped to the plate. She added to her three RBI’s on the day with a three-run home run that cleared the right field fence onto Malvern Street.
Heinen’s blast proved to be the nail in the coffin as Melanie Russell, who was originally slated to get the start before head coach Ashley Waters gave the nod to Hynes, came in for the three-out save. Due to college softball mercy rules, the game ended after 4½ innings as the Terriers cruised to their 5th straight victory.
BU will be back in action this weekend as they head down to the Maryland Invitational where they will take on Binghamton, Maryland, Ball State, and in-state rival Massachusetts before returning home for a two game series with the Pioneers of Sacred Heart. The first pitch is slated for 1:30 P.M. as they take on the Bearcats in the first of back-to-back doubleheaders.