Terriers go 3-2 in FAU Kick-Off Classic
By: Brian Lombardo
BOCA RATON, Fla. — The Terriers made a trip down to southern Florida for the Florida Atlantic University Kick-Off Classic, which hosted a handful of NCAA softball teams from different divisions to face off to start the season.
The weekend trip was no vacation for Head Coach Ashley Waters’ Terriers. The Terriers played five games in the three-day weekend classic, with two of them going into into extra innings. Though, the setup of the tournament allowed the teams to spend a large portion of the day to enjoy the weather and a weekend away from the cold confines of the Northeast.
On Friday, the team play Northern Illinois at 11:15 a.m. while Saturday featured a morning doubleheader, the first against Duke at 9 a.m. and the second against Bethune-Cookman at 11:15a.m.
Sunday’s slate featured an early matchup against Michigan State at 9 a.m. and then an 11:15 a.m. bout with Ohio State. There was some quality competition down in Boca Raton, so coming out of the weekend 3-2 is impressive.
GAME 1
BOSTON UNIVERSITY 6, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 2:
Some late-game heroics brought the Terriers their first win of the season. Going into the 6th inning, the Terriers trailed 2-1, but some crooked numbers helped the team to a 6-2 victory. Those tallies came in the form of three runs on three hits and an error by the Huskies. Alex Heinen drove in the final pair of BU runs in the top of the seventh with a two-run double. Freshman pitcher Ali Dubois went the distance in her NCAA debut and earned the victory.
GAME 2
BOSTON UNIVERSITY 7, DUKE 4 (8):
The second game of the weekend needed an extra frame to find a winner, but the Terriers once again found a way to pull out some runs in crunch time. This time it was the help of a couple Duke errors and a big two-run single from senior Jilee Schanda. Dubois picked up the win for the Terriers.
GAME 3
BETHUNE-COOKMAN 6, BOSTON 1:
The offense fell silent in the second game on Saturday. After exploding for four runs in extra innings against Duke, the Terriers came out of the gates well against B-C, grabbing a run in the first inning. From there on out it was all B-C, as the Wildcats scored in four consecutive innings. Sophomore Lizzie Annerino got the start for the Terriers but couldn’t pull out the win.
GAME 4
BOSTON 3, MICHIGAN STATE 0:
Junior Alex Heinen’s first-inning RBI single was enough to get past the Spartans on Sunday. For good measure and insurance, the Terriers tacked on two more runs on a two-run single up the middle by senior Emma Wong. The game was Dubois’ first career collegiate shutout.
GAME 5
OHIO STATE 3, BOSTON 2 (8):
The final game of the weekend brought the toughest competition. The Ohio State Buckeyes received the most votes of any team left outside of the Top-25. The action came in the extra frame when Buckeye All-American Lilli Piper lined a Dubois pitch back up the middle. The single brought home the winning run in the imposed runner that begins extra innings on second base, per the international tiebreaker rules.
THE WRAP UP
The Terriers combined to hit .293 for the weekend. Of note, the 3-0 victory against Michigan State was the team’s first shutout of a major conference opponent since 2012.
The scarlet and white will continue to train and practice at home while they wait out the cold weather in Boston. Their next game comes on Friday, Feb. 16, as they travel to New Mexico State for five games in the Troy Cox Classic.