By: Dave Souza<\/p>\n
With the Boston University softball team looking to stem a west coast skid, the perfect opportunity arose when the Terriers began the Long Beach State Tournament out in California. However, instead of reversing course, the Terriers (8-14) continued their stumble, losing five of six in the tournament to go 3-10 on their west-coast swing.<\/p>\n
After dropping four of five in the San Diego Classic, the scarlet and white ventured down to Los Angeles to square off in a two-game duel with Loyola Marymount.<\/p>\n
In the first contest, the Terriers entered the bottom of the sixth inning tied at 2 with LMU; however, a four-run frame by the Lions was enough to dispatch BU as they dropped their second straight game.<\/p>\n
Despite their shortcomings in game one, the Terriers turned things around with a 3-1 win over LMU the next day. In that contest, BU struck for three runs across three separate innings \u2013 thanks to an Alex Heinen homerun and a three-hit outbreak\u00a0by Gabi Martinez. Kali Magane (4-5) pitched a complete game, allowing one run on five hits and striking out two.<\/p>\n
After the two-game stand, the scarlet and white ventured to Long Beach State to take part in the host school\u2019s three-day tournament.<\/p>\n
On Thursday\u2019s double-header, the Terriers lost twice in close contests. After stumbling out of the gate against Eastern Michigan, BU faced a four-run deficit entering the third inning. And, much like a number of games earlier this season, the Terriers responded in the late innings.<\/p>\n
Three straight batters reached base before a hit by pitch and a subsequent walk cut the lead to two. A batter later, Alex Heinen hit a sacrifice fly to bring the Terriers within one. However, a line out and pop out ended the BU rally.<\/p>\n
Later that day, the Terriers took a 4-2 lead into the sixth, before a four-run inning by Long Beach State bested BU. The deciding frame truly began on a two-run triple that tied the score between the two squads. Back-to-back singles two batters later gave Long Beach a lead they would not relinquish.<\/p>\n
Friday\u2019s doubleheader was a hopeful one for the scarlet and white, who split the day but were striking distance from sweeping. In the first contest, San Diego State handed the Terriers a crushing defeat, 11-10, in extra innings.<\/p>\n
With both teams striking for four runs in the game\u2019s first three innings, both offenses exploded in the contest. Trailing 7-4 entering the bottom of the seventh, the Terriers rallied with an RBI double from Heinen and a two-run knock by Alexa Ponce that was scored as an error on the San Diego shortstop.<\/p>\n
In the top of the eighth, San Diego State would not be deterred. Striking for four unearned runs off of Makinna Akers (3-3), the Aztecs again took a commanding lead, this time 11-7. And while BU rallied for three runs in the bottom of the frame, a Martinez RBI single was not enough to bring the Terriers to victory.<\/p>\n
BU rode the offensive momentum they garnered in the first game of their Friday doubleheader to a victory against Cal State Fullerton later in the afternoon. The Terriers struck early, stretching across four runs on three hits and a pair of efforts to go up early. And while Cal State Fullerton responded with timely runs throughout the contest, Moriah Connolly\u2019s run in the top of the seventh sealed the 5-4 victory for BU.<\/p>\n
However, the progress made on Friday was all but nullified on Saturday as the Terriers were outscored 11-2 in a pair of losses.<\/p>\n
In the opening contest against No. 10 UCLA, a four-run third inning and a two-run fifth buried BU in the 6-1 loss. The Terriers managed just four hits in the contest and scored their lone run in the bottom of the first. The Bruins twice crushed two-run homers \u2013 one in the third, one in the fifth.<\/p>\n
In the rematch with Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, the Terriers fell 5-1 and managed three hits \u2013 including Heinen\u2019s sixth inning homerun. Conversely, Cal State recorded 11 hits and scored all their runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.<\/p>\n
Now the Terriers will enjoy a week off to shake off the jet lag before returning to Boston for a date with Bryant University on March 22. After that, BU will begin Patriot League play with a road trip to Bethlehem, Penn. for a two-game series with the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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