April 23, 2013
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Gametracker: Game 1 | Game 2
BOSTON - Kicking off a seven-game homestand, the Boston University softball team will welcome America East foe Albany for a doubleheader on Wednesday with action slated to begin at 2:30 p.m. The contests mark a rematch of the Terriers' 5-0 2012 America East title game victory.
Currently riding a six-game win streak, the Terriers (17-20-1) are fourth in the America East standings with a 5-4 record and are 4.5 games behind the Great Danes (28-10, 11-1 AE). The two teams have faced off in three of the last four conference championship games with BU winning in 2012 and 2009 and Albany coming out ahead in 2011.
During the last six games, BU has out-scored opponents by a 36-10 margin and are batting .364 while limiting opponents to a .197 hitting average. Seven Terriers have hit above .300 with both juniors Jayme Mask and Amy Ekart going 9-of-20 (.450). Swiping a school-record four stolen bases against UMBC back on April 13, Mask is a perfect 10-of-10 in stolen base attempts and has scored six times while plating five runners.
Ekart owns a .700 slugging percentage with a homer and two doubles, while senior Emily Roesch has a team-high six RBIs behind six hits. Another key presence in the lineup has been the return of junior Chelsea Kehr to the lineup. Since starting 3-of-18 (.167), she has gone 6-of-14 (.429) and plated five runners.
In the circle, senior Whitney Tuthill (13-11) and freshman Lauren Hynes (3-4) have started three games apiece. Named GoTerriers.com Student-Athlete of the Week on Monday, Tuthill struck out a career-high 12 batters on Sunday in BU's 8-0 victory at Sacred Heart. With a 1.31 ERA, she has collected four wins and two saves while holding opponents to a .173 batting average. Hynes has a 2.62 ERA and has helped her own cause by hitting .400 at the plate with three RBIs and four runs scored.
Albany has been on a roll as well, winning 23 of its last 26 games. Named America East Pitcher of the Week on Monday, Brittany MacFawn (19-6) went 6-0 in six appearances while recording a 0.21 ERA. Finishing with 40 strikeouts, she allowed just one run and 12 hits over 33 innings to help the Great Danes sweep UMBC and claim wins against Cornell and Manhattan.
As a team, the Great Danes are batting .276. Annie Johnson is batting .361 and is 33-of-37 in stolen base attempts. Vicky McFarland (.296 AVG) owns a team-high seven homers and has 26 RBIs, while Maggie Cocks owns 12 doubles and 30 RBIs.
Following the doubleheader, BU will host Bryant on Thursday (April 25) at 4 p.m. In the first meeting between the two squads last week, the Terriers earned an 8-6 road victory.
