Alley HRs Help Softball Split with Hartford
April 9, 2006 | Softball
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
BOSTON – Senior 1B Liz Alley hit three home runs and drove in seven to help the Boston University softball team split a doubleheader with Hartford on Sunday afternoon at the BU Softball Field. The Terriers dropped game one 11-10, despite a pair of long balls from Alley, but rallied to win game two, 11-1, thanks to an eight-run fourth inning. BU took two of three from the Hawks this weekend and improved to 18-17 overall, 4-2 in the America East. Hartford fell to 7-11, 2-4.
In the opener, BU exploded out of the gates, scoring five runs in the first inning, to take a 5-0 lead. Alley led the charge with a three-run home run. Hartford stormed back with three runs off Terrier starter Cassidi Hardy in the second inning to cut the Terrier lead to 5-3, but Alley hit a solo homer in the third and Melissa Dubay roped a two-run single in the fourth to propel the Terriers to an 8-3 advantage.
Hartford fought back with four unearned runs off Terrier reliever Shayne Lotito in the fifth inning. After Lotito retired the first two batters, SS Dubay committed an error, and the Hawks capitalized to trim the deficit to 8-7.
BU clung to its one-run advantage into the seventh inning, and the Hawks were down to their final out before Brie Hout clubbed a bases-loaded double, giving Hartford a 10-8 advantage. The Hawks would tack on another run in the frame, which was important, as Tyler Benson’s two-run single in the bottom of the seventh was not enough to bring BU back.
Lotito (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing eight runs (four earned) on 10 hits in 5.2 IP. She was making just her second career appearance on the mound. Hout (1-1) earned the win in relief for Hartford, allowing two runs on two hits in 3.0 IP.
Offensively, BU was led by Alley, who was 2-4 with four RBI. Lotito (2-5), Christy Leath (2-3) and Dubay (2-2) each had two hits to lead the Terriers’ 11-hit attack.
Game two began as a pitchers’ duel between Nicole McMillon of Hartford and Melody Popravak of BU, with the contest entering the third inning in a scoreless tie. The Hawks scraped for an unearned run in the top of the third, but BU countered with three of its own in the bottom half to take a 3-1 lead. Lotito tripled and scored on Benson’s RBI single, and Leath and Josey Mendez followed with RBI doubles to put BU on top.
The Terriers blew the game wide open in the fourth, sending 14 hitters to the plate and tallying eight runs – all of which were unearned. Brooke Hudson led off the inning by reaching on an error by Hawk 2B Michelle Mariano. Four batters later, Brandi Shields hit a sacrifice fly to plate Hudson, and the next eight Terriers recorded base hits. Alley clobbered a three-run home run – her sixth of the season and the 27th of her career, adding to her school record. When the smoke had cleared, the Terriers had 10 hits in the inning and led 11-1.
Popravak (1-1) took advantage of the run support, as she scattered six hits and fanned four in her first complete game of the season. The game was called after the top of the fifth, as the eight-run mercy rule was invoked.
Lotito went 4-4 on the day, while Leath was 3-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. BU banged out 15 hits in just four at-bats.
The Terriers return to action Wednesday afternoon when they host Maine. Game time is 1 p.m. at the BU Softball Field.
