April 26, 2014

Box Score | Ekart's postgame comments

Sunday links: Listen | Gametracker 1 | Gametracker 2 | @BUGameDay

BOSTON - Highlighted by senior Brittany Clendenny's career-high five RBIs and two home runs, the Boston University softball team cruised past Lafayette, 10-1, in six innings on a wet Saturday afternoon at the BU Softball Field. Extending their win streak to eight games, the Terriers improve to 27-18 (9-4 PL), while the Leopards fall to 10-30 (4-12 PL).

In total, seven players combined for 10 hits with four of them going for extra bases. Clendenny went 3-of-4 and crushed a two-run homer in the first and a walk-off two-run blast in the sixth. Freshman Brittany Younan added two hits, including a triple, while fellow classmate Moriah Connolly posted a two-RBI triple.

Sophomore Melanie Russell (7-3) allowed three straight two-out singles in the first but settled down after the first. She limited the Leopards to one hit rest of the game and finished with five strikeouts against zero walks to collect the victory.

After Lafayette grabbed a 1-0 lead, BU quickly pulled away in the bottom half of the first. Senior Jayme Mask hit a lead-off single, took second on Younan's sacrifice bunt and then tied the game on Clendenny's single.

Junior Mandy Fernandez and senior Chelsea Kehr followed with back-to-back singles to give the Terriers the 2-1 advantage. Sophomore Lauren Hynes loaded the bases with a two-out walk. Lafayette then committed a costly mistake when the shortstop made a poor throw in an attempt to get the force at second, which allowed two runs to score. Connolly followed with a bases-clearing triple to give BU the 6-1 advantage.

After Russell quickly retired the side in the second, Younan led off with a triple and reached home on Clendenny's towering shot over the center field fence.

The Terriers would not score again until the sixth when Younan hit a two-out single up the middle and scored on Clendenny's homer over the right field fence. Clendenny went yard twice in a game for the second time in her career after posting two against Boston College back in 2012.

BU will conclude the weekend series against the Leopards on Sunday (April 27) with the first pitch of the doubleheader scheduled for 12 p.m.