Softball: Avery dominates as Terriers leave UMass scoreless
By Bobby Serafin
It has now been more than a full month since Boston University softball (27-13, 6-0 PL) lost a game. The latest victim of the Terriers’ 16-game win streak was UMass Amherst (12-23, 5-6 Atlantic 10), whom they defeated 6-0 on Thursday.
The story of this game has been a common one for BU the last several games — Terrier pitching dominating opponents.
Junior pitcher Lizzy Avery was the star of the show, getting her 12th win and notching her fourth complete-game shutout of the year. Avery came within two strikeouts of her career-high, punching out 10 Minutewomen. Out of 26 batters faced, only three reached base against Avery.
After Avery got off to a strong start and kept UMass off the board in the top of the first, the Terriers quickly got to work. After junior third baseman Caitlin Coker reached base on an error, BU tallied four unearned runs on three hits from senior left fielder Emily Gant, graduate center fielder Jen Horita, and senior second baseman AJ Huerta-Leipner.
The Terriers also stole three bases during the inning, later finishing the game with eight total.
The stealing spree continued as Coker stole home in the second to make it 5-0. The final BU run of the day came in the fifth when Huerta-Leipner doubled to bring home Horita.
Despite the shaky start and the eventual loss, UMass junior pitcher Jessie DiPasquale only gave up four hits and one run through her last four innings of work.
BU pitchers have not given up more than two runs in their last 15 games. The Terriers lead the Patriot League in ERA — in which they also rank 37th nationally — as well as opponent batting average and strikeouts.
BU has historically struggled against its in-state foe, winning just seven out of 22 games against UMass. As of late, the Terriers have gotten the better of the Minutewomen, picking up three consecutive wins dating back to 2018.
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BU will continue its six-game homestand with three games against the Holy Cross Crusaders (11-23, 3-6 PL), who are coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of Lehigh. The series begins at noon on Saturday.