Softball: BU Sweeps Doubleheader at Bucknell, Continues Patriot League Dominance

By Ethan Pott

LEWISBURG, P.A. – The Boston University Terriers Softball Team (16-10) swept its Patriot League opponent Bucknell University (9-16) in a doubleheader on Sunday.

Originally scheduled as the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, the matchup was pushed to Sunday, after BU’s 14-7 victory over Bucknell stretched to a total of 15 innings. It was the Terriers’ longest game in over two decades.

BU opened Sunday’s first game with sophomore shortstop Libby Walsh hitting a single into the left field for the team’s first hit.

Bucknell struck first in the bottom of the second when shortstop Brooke Popella reached on an error to lead off the inning. With one out, pitcher Savannah Jones laid down a bunt to move Popella into scoring position.

Popella advanced to third and scored on a line-drive single by right fielder Shea Malone. BU pitcher Allison Ganino escaped further damage, stranding two Bucknell runners.

Jones shut down BU’s attempt to answer in the bottom half of the inning, recording a strikeout before Bison third baseman Nicole Lioumis snagged a line drive and fired to first for a double play to end the frame.

Bucknell senior left fielder Ava Aguilar led off the third inning with a single to center. Center fielder Haley Speicher followed with a walk, putting two on with no outs. A sacrifice bunt by first baseman MaKenzie Hilling moved both runners into scoring position.

Popella — one of Bison’s top hitters with an .818 OPS — came through, lacing a single to left field to drive in two runs and extend the Bison’s lead to 3-0.

BU responded in the top of the fourth.

Junior second baseman Brooke Deppiesse led off with a double into left-center field, continuing her outstanding record this season with an 1.318 OPS.

Senior designated player Sydney Pecoraro followed with an RBI single to left, putting the Terriers on the board.

But Bucknell’s Jones limited the damage, retiring the next three batters to preserve the lead.

Bucknell pulled Jones in the fifth after a leadoff walk, turning to right-handed pitcher Madison Roukey, who took the loss in Saturday’s lengthy matchup. Roukey struggled immediately, surrendering back-to-back singles to junior pinch hitter Olivia DeLong and sophomore catcher Livia Christopher, loading the bases with no outs.

Sophomore center fielder Kylie Doherty — who leads BU with five home runs and a 1.079 OPS — delivered in the clutch, ripping a two-run double to tie the game at 3-3. The hit extended her hitting streak to 13 games and pushed her team-leading RBI total to 27.

Deppiesse followed with a sacrifice fly to give BU its first lead of the game, and senior designated player Sydney Pecoraro tacked on another run with her second hit of the day — an RBI single to right that made it 5-3.

In the bottom of the fifth, BU freshman pitcher Ava Johnson worked into trouble but held the lead. After striking out the first batter, she allowed three consecutive singles.

Roukey’s struggles continued in the sixth, when BU sophomore infielder Kyomi Apalit launched a towering two-run homer over the center field wall for the first long ball of her collegiate career.

Deppiesse stayed red-hot in the seventh, notching her eighth straight multi-hit game with a single. Pecoraro followed with a deep fly ball off the right-field wall, bringing Deppiesse all the way around from first with an RBI triple.

Down four in the bottom of the seventh, Bucknell couldn’t rally. Johnson set the Bison down in order to seal the win 8-4.

Heading into the finale of the three-game weekend series, Boston University looked to extend its winning streak, while Bucknell aimed to avoid a sweep.

The Bison started sophomore left-hander Sarah Zimmerman, who entered the game with a 2-0 record and a 6.85 ERA through 11 appearances. BU wasted no time jumping on Zimmerman, striking early in the first inning.

With two outs, Zimmerman surrendered four consecutive hits. Walsh opened the scoring with a two-run triple to right field, and freshman left fielder Addie Lucier followed with an RBI double.

BU’s ace, senior right-hander Kasey Ricard, took the mound for her second start of the weekend. Ricard, who had already thrown 260 pitches over 15 innings in Saturday’s game, made her 100th career appearance in a BU uniform.

She entered the game with a 10-6 record, a 2.33 ERA, and a Patriot League-leading 17 strikeouts. Ricard wasted no time asserting her dominance, retiring the Bison in order in the first with two strikeouts.

After another strikeout in the second, Ricard gave up a double to Bucknell right fielder Marissa Rapino. Ricard stranded the runner, striking out Lioumis to end the inning.

Bucknell threatened in the third when freshman catcher Reagan Powell reached on an infield single following a Walsh throwing error.

However, BU’s defense quickly erased the mistake, turning a double play after Powell overran second base. Ricard escaped the inning unscathed.

“Kasey’s all heart. There’s no one that wants to win more than her. She’s a gritty performer,” BU Head Coach Ashley Waters said. “She was ready to go for both games today. She has a different mentality and does what she needs to for the team.”

BU added insurance in the sixth as junior pinch hitter Olivia DeLong smacked an RBI double. Bucknell responded with a sac fly from Jones, making it 4-2.

The Terriers put the game out of reach in the seventh. Sophomore center fielder Kylie Doherty and junior second baseman Brooke Deppiesse reached base before Sydney Pecoraro’s RBI single.

A wild pitch and passed ball plated two more runs, and freshman third baseman Megan Coyle added another on a groundout.

The game ended with a 8-2 BU victory, securing its 21st consecutive Patriot League win.

“Our offense showed up this weekend in a really big way,” Waters said. “The offense is what made us prevail. They kept us in it, they fought to climb back and they responded when they needed to with timely hits.”

Waters said she hopes the events of the weekend and winning streak will inspire the team to continue playing better.

“Any time you win it’s a good thing, even if it’s not pretty,” she said. “What you saw was a really hard-fought battle that shows some special grit. What matters most is we can play better softball every single day.”

BU will continue their 2025 campaign into a doubleheader at the Merrimack Warriors on Tuesday.