April 7, 2012
Box Score (Game One) | Box Score(Game Two)
ORONO, Maine - The Boston University softball team picked up a pair of victories over Maine on Saturday at Kessock Field in Orono, Maine. The Terriers defeated the Black Bears, 2-1, in extra innings before posting a 6-1 victory. The pair of wins moves BU to 22-12 and 6-2 in America East play.
The first game was a defensive battle that extended to 12 innings before BU pulled off a 2-1 victory. Sophomore Megan Volpano led the Terriers with two hits while seniors Erica Casacci and Melanie Delgado drove in both of the runs.
Sophomore Holli Floetker got the start for the Terriers and went 10 innings with eight strikeouts. Floetker allowed five hits and one run while on the mound. Junior Whitney Tuthill pitched the final two innings for BU, giving up three hits and no runs.
The Terriers got on the board first in the top of the third inning with Delgado getting on base with a double to left field. Sophomore Jayme Mask followed with a single to shortstop and advanced Delgado to third before a fielder’s choice by Casacci allowed the run to score.
BU’s defense limited the Black Bears’ opportunities and it appeared that the Terriers were going to take the win, but Maine scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extra innings. Sophomore Jean Stevens stepped up to bat with two outs and hit a home run to left field to extend the contest.
BU almost took advantage of two errors by Maine in the top of the eighth, with both Mask and Casacci getting on base via errors with two outs, but Volpano hit a grounder right to second base to end the inning. The Terriers later had a chance in the top of the 10th after a double by Emily Roesch. Rookie Kendra Meadows pinch ran for Roesch and advanced to third but BU was unable to drive the run in.
The Terriers got their second run of the game in the top of the 12th as rookie Emily Felbaum started the inning with a double to right field. Roesch used a sacrifice bunt to advance Felbaum to third and the freshman then scored when Delgado grounded out to first base. The Black Bears posted a pair of two-out singles in the bottom of the frame but a final ground out ended the game and BU took the 2-1 victory.
BU’s offense came alive in the second game, as the Terriers posted six runs off of 12 hits. Volpano led BU with three runs and three RBIs while Casacci and Chelsea O’Connor added two hits each.
Tuthill pitched the second game for BU, giving up just three hits and one run. The game was scoreless through the first three innings before BU scored in the top of the fourth. Sophomore Brittany Clendenny hit a single to right field and O’Connor followed with a double to center. Roesch drove Clendenny home, as she grounded out to second base to give BU a 1-0 lead.
The Terriers added a pair of runs in the next inning with two outs on the board. After Mask walked, Casacci singled to shortstop and advanced to first while Mask moved to third. Volpano then stepped up and blasted a double to left center field, bringing Mask and Casacci home to put BU ahead, 3-0.
After a quick three outs for BU on defense, BU scored again in the top of the sixth. Felbaum got on base with a single through the left side and Amy Ekart followed with a double to left center, allowing Felbaum to score and BU to extend its advantage to 4-0.
In their last at bat, the Terrier scored an additional two runs. The first four batters for BU hit singles, with Volpano’s driving in Meadows. Clendenny hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the final run for the Terriers, as they took a 6-0 lead into the bottom of the inning.
For the second time on Saturday, Maine received a two-out home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, but the one run did not spark a rally, as BU claimed the 6-1 victory.
The Terriers and Black Bears conclude the three-game series on Sunday, April 8, at 12 p.m.
(Game One)
