Consistent McDonald Earns America East Rookie Honor
April 21, 2003 | Softball
BOSTON - Boston University freshman pitcher/outfielder Erin McDonald (Macon, Ill.) was selected as the America East Rookie of the Week after going 3-0 and not giving up a run in 13 innings pitched.
B. U. went 7-0 during the week, with a two-game sweep of the University of Hartford on April 14, a single-game win over the University of Connecticut on April 16, and a four-game sweep at the University of Vermont on April 18 and 19. In the Catamount series, the Terriers outscored Vermont, 24-0. For the week, B. U. gave up just six runs.
For the week, McDonald went 7-for-21 from the plate (.333) with four RBI and four runs scored. She had a two-run single in the Terriers' 8-0 win at Vermont on April 18. In that same game she pitched a complete-game shutout, striking out five while giving up only four hits. On the next day, she went 3-for-4 from the plate with two runs scored in a 9-0 Terrier win over the Catamounts.
In the circle, McDonald got three wins in three appearances, not giving up an earned run in the process. She combined with senior pitcher Tiffany Finateri (Las Vegas, Nev.) to one-hit the University of Hartford in a 6-0 win on April 14. She had a pair of complete-game shutouts at Vermont, giving up just seven hits in a combined 13 innings pitched.
It is the second conference honor for McDonald, who earned the league's Player of the Week honor on April 7. She was named to the Buzz Softball Classic All-Tournament Team earlier this season. On the season, McDonald has a 7-6 record with a 2.84 ERA. Since starting the season with an 0-6 record, she has won seven starts in a row. She is second on the team in batting with a .333 average, and is second in slugging at .471. Her .414 on-base percentage is also second on the team.
Boston University (19-16), which sits atop the America East standings with a 9-1 record, next takes on the University of Maine in a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 23. The start of game one at the B. U. Softball Field is 3 p.m.
