May 17, 2014
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Gleason's day two postgame comments | NCAA Regional Central
TUCSON, Ariz. - Highlighted by a pair of homers and a complete-game performance by sophomore Melanie Russell, the Boston University softball team eliminated Louisville, 8-3, on Saturday evening in front of a national television audience on ESPN at Arizona's Hillenbrand Stadium.
Earning a win at their fourth-straight NCAA regional, the Patriot League champion Terriers improve to 36-20, while the American Athletic Conference champion Cardinals end their season at 36-22. BU will remain on the field and face 23rd-ranked LSU in the second elimination game of the day.
Seeded fourth in the regional, the Terriers entered the contest having dropped the first two meetings to No. 3 seed Louisville by a combined score of 7-0 with the last game occurring in 2012.
BU jumped out in front with five runs in the top of the first against Rachel Le Coq, who last just one-third of an inning. They then added two in the fourth and a solo shot in the seventh. Making her fifth straight start for BU, Russell (13-4) went the distance in the win, allowing three runs off 11 hits while also posting a strikeout and three walks.
Le Coq induced a ground out to start the game, but BU responded with five straight hits. Freshman Brittany Younan singled up the middle and then moved to third on senior Brittany Clendenny's double. Less than 24 hours after her grand slam against No. 11 Arizona, senior Chelsea Kehr tallied two more RBIs with a single through the right side.
Junior Mandy Fernandez kept the momentum going with the Terriers' fourth straight single, setting the stage for fellow classmate Emily Felbaum. Earning her second homer of the season, Felbaum launched the ball deep into the left field bleachers for the 5-0 advantage.
Making their 11th straight NCAA appearance, the Cardinals went 0-2 for the first time in program history after Friday night's 13-9 defeat to No. 2 seed LSU. They led off with a solo homer in the bottom of the first but would not get to Russell again until the sixth when BU was ahead 7-1.
Clendenny hit a RBI grounder to score senior Jayme Mask, and Fernandez posted a RBI single to plate Younan for the six-run advantage in the top of the fourth.
After Louisville added two runs off three hits in the bottom of the sixth, freshman Gabi Martinez belted her first career homer to left center for an insurance score. The Cardinals tried to mount a rally and loaded the bases with two outs behind a pair of singles and a BU error. However, Russell slammed the door by getting the fly out to left.
Improving to 7-13 all-time in NCAA action, the Terriers will have a 30-minute rest period before going back to the field against No. 23 LSU. The Tigers lost the first game of the day in a back-and-forth 9-8 thriller to No. 11 national seed Arizona.
BU will remain on the air on ESPN and face LSU for the first time in program history. The Terriers will try to eliminate a Southeastern Conference program for the first time since beating Auburn in 2009. That year marked the last regional finals appearance for the Terriers.
