Terriers Do Battle in Poughkeepsie
After a stretch of inclement weather forced the Boston University softball team (11-16) to cancel four consecutive games, the Terriers will finally return to action with a doubleheader against the Red Foxes of Marist.
The last time BU took the field was against the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks. Going against the two-time defending Patriot League Champions, the Terriers took an early 4-1 lead before rain postponed the game and the two following it. You have to go all the way back to the scarlet and white’s extra inning loss to Boston College on March 30th to see the last full game the Terriers played. Including the BC loss, BU has been reeling off of four straight losses, and five of their last seven games. Army West Point did the most damage to the Terriers as the Black Knights swept BU in a three-game series in New York at the tail end of March.
The last victory that Ashley Waters’ squad recorded was against the Sacred Heart Pioneers back on the 24th. In that game, catcher Gabi Martinez singled in the winning run as the Terriers walked off in extra innings to the tune of 6-5. However, BU will not have the luxury of being the home team when they square off against the Red Foxes.
Away from Commonwealth Avenue, the Terriers are an abysmal 1-8, with their only victory coming against UC Riverside in early March. Hoping to lead the way for BU will be Junior Brittany Younan and freshman Alex Heinen. Younan, who has appeared in all 27 games for the scarlet and white this season, leads the team in batting average with .379, at-bats with 95, and hits with 36. The Chico, California native is also second on the team in runs-batted-in with 15, trailing only Heinen who has driven in 21.
On the mound BU has looked to Lauren Hynes to be the teams’ ace this season. In that role, the senior has delivered allowing just 37 earned runs over a span of 103.2 innings pitched. Her ERA is a cool 2.50, almost roughly 1.8 points lower than Melanie Russell, the teams apparent number two. Hynes also has exemplified her versatility as a pitcher by coming in as a reliever for nine of her 22 total appearances. While she has only complied an 8-8 record this season, she is the only Terrier to record multiple wins and paces the squad with six complete games.
Squaring off against BU is a Marist team that is riding an eight-game win streak. The Red Foxes (21-7) have yet to lose at home and have recorded wins over the two other doubleheader opponents they have faced in the confines of their own stadium, Niagara and Cornell. While the Terriers hold the historical advantage stemming from a 1-0 victory back in 1988, expect Marist to come out guns blazing as their pitching staff has a combined ERA of under 3.00. Leading the way is red shirt junior Jessica Van Alphen, who has posted a 1.94 ERA en route to a 7-1 record. Also dealing for Marist this season is Megan Beiermeister, a freshman from Kinnelon, New Jersey. In her freshman campaign, Beiermeister has recorded seven wins and no losses while also boasting a 2.14 ERA.
Offensively the Red Foxes are a potent team with six of their players recording double-digit RBI numbers. Maureen Duddy leads the team with a 3.90 batting average, 39 hits, and 25 runs. She also is far and away the team leader in at-bats with 100.
First pitch is at 2 PM and will be quickly followed by the second game at 4.