Softball: Terriers pick up three wins in San Diego Classic
By Hannah Yoshinaga
Like many other Terriers, the Boston University softball team headed off to a warmer locale for Spring Break — but to participate in the University of San Diego’s San Diego Classic, that is.
BU went 3-2 in the Friday-through-Sunday tournament, its first West-Coast swing since March 2020.
Junior pitcher Allison Boaz, a San Diego native, allowed just three earned runs in four outings, while junior pitcher Lizzy Avery gave up four in three appearances.
Boaz and Avery each pitched complete games on Sunday. Avery allowed one run against USD and threw 10 strikeouts, a career-best. Against SDSU, Boaz allowed two runs, only one earned, and recorded a season-high three strikeouts.
Senior pitcher Emily Gant made her fourth appearance on the mound of the season, throwing a scoreless inning against UCSD.
Game 1: California defeats BU 4-1
The Terriers’ matchup against BU started as a pitchers’ duel between Avery and Bears pitcher Sona Halajian. Halajian maintained a no-hit bid until the fourth, when sophomore shortstop Kayla Roncin singled.
The scoreless back-and-forth looked as though it would continue in the bottom of the sixth when the Bears quickly recorded their first out. However, in the next at-bat, Halajian cranked a home run to center that gave Cal a 1-0 advantage.
A ground-rule double from designated player and first baseman Candace Yingling later in the inning scored pinch runner Diamond Holland, prompting BU head coach Ashley Waters to replace Avery with Boaz. Boaz got the second out of the inning but subsequently gave up a double to left fielder Amani Bradley, which allowed the Bears to tack on two more runs.
Senior first baseman Nicole Amodio singled to center in the top of the seventh to bring home Roncin but it wasn’t enough for the Terriers to make a complete comeback.
Game 2: Utah State defeats BU 6-5
BU got on the board in the second with a sac fly by Boaz that scored sophomore right fielder Lauren Keleher. In the third, Keleher drew a bases-loaded walk that brought in senior left fielder Jen Horita.
The Aggies subsequently tied up the contest in the fourth and sixth innings, scoring two unearned runs off a throwing error and a hit-by-pitch.
The Terrier took back the lead in the sixth, with freshman pinch runner Tyesha Williams scoring on an error by Utah State catcher Gabriella Jimenez and sophomore designated hitter Kate Pryor coming home on an RBI single by Gant.
Troubles on the basepaths continued to haunt BU in the seventh. Jimenez reached on Roncin’s second error of the game, which allowed center fielder Mazie Macfarlane and third baseman Claudia Medina to score unearned. Jimenez later came in to score on a single by shortstop Ariel Lopez, giving Utah State a 5-4 edge.
Despite the previous errors, Roncin made a statement in the bottom of the inning with a homer to left field to tie the game.
After giving up a run on a sac fly by second baseman Zaia Castruita in the top of the eighth, the Terriers nearly had a chance to score in extra innings after senior second baseman Bella Gargicevich-Almeida bunted Pryor to third. However, freshman pinch hitter Kennedy Ryman hit into a double play in the next at-bat to end the inning.
Game 3: BU defeats UCSD 4-1
After both teams failed to score in the first and second, BU quickly turned the tides against the Tritons with a four-run third inning.
Roncin singled up the middle and reached second on the throw, allowing Horita to reach third and giving junior third baseman Caitlin Coker and sophomore catcher Lauren Nett the chance to score. Amodio recorded another two-RBI single during the Terriers’ next at-bat, which scored Horita and Roncin.
UCSD managed one run in the bottom of the fourth after pitcher Gabby Williams doubled to center and right fielder Alexa DeMarse singled to score her later in the inning.
The Tritons’ best chance at a comeback came in the bottom of the seventh when a fielder’s choice and two fielding errors put the tying runner on with only one out. Boaz quickly responded by getting two groundouts to end the game.
Game 4: BU defeats USD 3-1
Roncin and Horita both singled and Amodio walked to load the bases with one out in the first. Keleher’s sac fly scored Horita but a strikeout in the next at-bat limited the Terriers to one run in the inning.
In the second, a Torero error following Horita’s single allowed senior second baseman A.J. Huerta-Leipner and Nett to score unearned, giving BU a 3-0 edge.
USD later took advantage of an error on the Terriers’ part in the fifth, with right fielder Ashley Daugherty coming home on a fielding error by Huerta-Leipner. Catcher Arisa Tovar stole second to put a runner in scoring position with two outs but the inning quickly ended on a strikeout. The Toreros put up three straight outs in the sixth and seventh, securing the game for BU.
Game 5: BU defeats SDSU 7-2
The Terriers put runners on base early against the Aztecs, bringing home three runs with two outs on a sacrifice fly by Amodio, an RBI single from Keleher, and an RBI single by Pryor.
SDSU threatened in the bottom of the inning when its first two batters reached base and a fielder’s choice in the Aztecs’ third at-bat allowed right fielder Bella Espinoza to score. However, Boaz got a double-play to escape the inning.
The Aztecs chipped into the lead again with an RBI double by center fielder Alexa Schultz that cut their deficit to one, but junior catcher Audrey Sellers quickly responded in the next inning with a two-RBI single that scored Pryor and Keleher.
The Terriers struck again in the top of the fifth when Gant’s sac fly allowed Amodio to come home. Gant brought in another run in the top of the seventh with an RBI single that scored Roncin.
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The Terriers head north to Orange County on Tuesday for two games in Fullerton, Calif. They’ll face UPenn at 5 p.m. ET and host Cal State Fullerton at 9 p.m. ET.