Softball: Terriers head to final weekend series before Patriot League Tournament

By Haydée Cepeda

Boston – The Boston University Softball Team (33-17) prepares to host its last weekend series against the Lafayette College Leopards (7-28) at home. 

The weekend series is BU’s first return to the play since sweeping the Bryant University Bulldogs in a doubleheader Wednesday, with scores of 2-1 and 3-2. 

Sophomore infielder Kyomi Apalit has been strong at bat, scoring both runs in Wednesday’s first win.

BU has shown up on the mound as well. Boasting a 2.07 ERA, junior Kasey Ricard pitched four no-hit innings and struck out seven. Freshman Danika Nell followed suit with 11 strikeouts — a personal best. 

The Terriers hold a 31-game winning streak over the Leopards, having never lost a matchup in the series. The last time the two teams met was last year’s season at the Leopards’ home, and the Terriers swept with scores of 6-0, 12-0 and 10-0. 

Home advantage has also greatly helped BU this season, as they have an 11-4 home record that was further solidified by Wednesday’s wins. The Leopards’ away record is 2-10. 

Lafayette College is coming from a five-game losing streak that was extended by a weekend series against West Army Point last weekend. The Leopards played hard but lost with scores of 4-11, 1-8 and 4-6. 

The weekend series is the Leopards’ final opportunity to battle for a spot in the Patriot League Tournament starting May 8.

Leading the Leopards at bat are sophomores Katie Harrington and Regan Dillon. They have three home runs under their belt for the season, and they hold batting averages of .279 and .293, respectively. Harrington also has 17 RBIs for the season.

Likely to be pitching in the weekend series is sophomore Parker Rowden, with whom West Army Point was only able to earn two runs through seven innings. 

This final meetup will be the Terriers’ last opportunity to extend their winning streak before the Patriot League Tournament — which BU won last year.

First pitch for Saturday’s doubleheader and the Sunday finale is scheduled for 12 p.m. at BU Softball Field. Streaming will be available on ESPN+.