Softball: Terriers Open up at Home Against Bryant
By: Dave Souza
With 10 losses in their last 13 games, the Boston University Softball team is in need of some home cooking. That’s exactly what they’ll get on Thursday afternoon as they take on the Bryant Bulldogs at the BU Softball Field at 4 p.m.
The game was originally supposed to be played as a part of a double header with the Bulldogs on Wednesday, however a cancellation and a postponement brought the contests down to one.
The Terriers (8-14) will look to recapture some of the early season swagger that they had when they bested No. 23 Florida Atlantic on their home diamond back in early February. BU thrived in the sunshine state, racking up five wins in nine games before beginning their west coast skid. However, the scarlet and white are back in Beantown and will look to kick off the 2017 home stand with a win over their foes from Rhode Island.
This season, Bryant has been a subpar 4-20 and has yet to win a game on the road. One of two common opponents for both the Bulldogs and the Terriers has been Quinnipiac. The Bobcats have squared off a combined three times against their canine adversaries, dropping one contest apiece.
Earlier this season, BU throttled Quinnipiac in an 8-1 win at the Medeira Beach Tournament. Almost a month later, the Bobcats and the Bulldogs squared off in Northridge, Calif., where Bryant walked away with a 4-1 victory. A month before the Bulldogs’ victory, the Bobcats mercy-ruled Bryant, 11-3, in five innings out in Los Angeles.
Both BU and Bryant have also been dealt losses by Loyola Marymount. The Terriers split a pair of contests in early March three days before LMU bested the Bulldogs, 8-5.
Despite a team batting average of .199, senior Haylee Haas has paced the Bulldogs with a .273 average. In 66 at-bats, Haas has reached base 21 times, including three walks, and has driven in six runs while scoring 10. Leading her team in a number of offensive categories, Haas has the ability to spearhead the Bryant offense against BU.
In contrast, the Terriers have been led by a pair of seniors batting well over the .300 mark. Moriah Connolly has been averaging .352 at the dish while classmate Gabi Martinez has pushed her average up to .319. Connolly is also 22nd in stolen bases per game (0.73) nationally after swiping 16 of 18 bases this season.
Historically against Bryant, the Terriers have come out on the winning side. In the two teams’ 10 contests, BU has emerged the victors seven times. Last year, the Terriers thrashed the Bulldogs, 9-1, in five innings with Connolly leading the way. The senior went 4-for-4 with two runs scored while Martinez also chipped in with three RBIs in the contest.
Hoping to build off of last season’s 11-6 mark at home, the Terriers will kick off their Comm. Ave play at 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon.