April 22, 2010
Box Score
BOSTON - The Boston University softball team (23-18) dropped a 7-3 decision to Rhode Island (16-24) on Thursday afternoon at BU Softball Field. Junior Christina Valdes and freshman Whitney Tuthill provided the offensive power for the Terriers with home runs in the third and fourth innings.
The first game ran three hours long because of a one-hour rain delay in the middle of the sixth inning. With the first game finishing at 6:30 p.m. the second contest was canceled.
As a team, BU recorded six hits, including two off Tuthill's bat. She recorded a two-run blast in the fourth inning that also plated senior Rachel Moeller. One inning earlier, Valdes broke up URI's shutout bid with her fourth home run of the season.
Freshman Taylor Cowan was charged with the loss, allowing six runs - two earned - off four hits. Tuthill pitched the final five innings, striking out three and allowing one run and four hits.
BU found itself in a bases-loaded jam in the first off two walks and an error, and a hit to the Cowan plated URI's first run. On the next at-bat, a two-run single through the right side plated two more and a double to left field two batters latter made it a 5-0 game. Following a pitching change, URI's Erika Szymanski followed up with an RBI double that rounded out the six-run inning.
In the bottom of the third, Valdes put BU on the scoreboard with a solo shot to centerfield and in the next inning the Terriers cut the deficit in half as Tuthill went deep for the fifth time this season, plating Moeller in the process and making it a 6-3 game.
After an hour-long delay in the middle of the sixth, the Terriers and Rams returned to the diamond and URI recorded the last out to take the game into the seventh. In the top half of the inning and with two outs, URI pitcher Erika Szymanski hit to the opposite field for a home run and the 7-3 lead. To get out of the inning, first baseman Rachel Hebert made a good defensive play, stretching far to her right to record the final out.
In the bottom half of the frame, Hebert followed up with a single to shortstop to get BU a base runner with no outs and sophomore Erica Casacci followed with a fielder's choice; however, URI got out of the inning to pick up the victory.
The second game was canceled and BU will return to the diamond this weekend with a three-game series vs. Binghamton at BU Softball Field. First pitch will be delivered on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
