Terriers Edge Sacred Heart in Extra Innings, 6-5

Thursday, March 24

BU Softball Field

3:00 PM

Boston University

11-12

Sacred Heart

6-15

Sacred Heart

Boston Univeristy

Junior Gabi Martinez had a season-high three hits and the game-winning RBI single

Terriers Edge Sacred Heart in Extra Innings, 6-5

March 24, 2016 | Softball

Box Score

March 24, 2016

Box Score

BOSTON - Highlighted by extra-inning RBI singles by junior Gabi Martinez and freshman Alex Heinen, the Boston University softball team held on for a 6-5 victory over Sacred Heart on Thursday afternoon at the BU Softball Field.

Six different individuals contributed an RBI to help the Terriers improve to 11-12, while the Pioneers (6-15) had four come off the bat of Stephanie Appelberg in the sixth to erase a four-run deficit and send the game to extra innings. Junior Makinna Akers (1-2) allowed just one hit and tallied four strikeouts against one walk in three innings of relief to earn her first victory of the season.

SHU had a great opportunity to take the lead in the third when it loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. Senior Lauren Hynes though induced a grounder and a pair of swinging strikeouts to end the threat. She then helped her own cause by laying down a successful sacrifice bunt to plate sophomore Jilee Schanda, who led off the bottom half with a triple to center.

Sophomore Kaitlin Sahlinger and freshman Emily Morrow extended the lead to 3-0 with an RBI double and single, respectively, in the fourth. Sophomore Emma Wong followed with another in the fifth to push BU ahead, 4-0.

For the second time of the game, the Pioneers loaded the bases against Hynes during the top of the sixth with one out behind three singles. Hynes got the force at home for the second out but then gave up a grand slam to Appelberg. The Terriers tried to get a walk-off win in the seventh but stranded two runners in scoring position.

Using international tie-breaker rules in which a runner starts the inning at second, SHU took its first lead of the game in the eighth with a two-out RBI single. BU managed to extend the game, as Heinen ripped on a 3-2 pitch a clutch hard grounder off the glove of the third baseman to plate Wong from third.

Akers got the easy 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth on a strikeout and two grounders to set the stage for another walk-off opportunity. Schanda hit an infield single to put runners at the corners with no outs. Martinez followed with her season-high third hit of the game, a hard infield grounder to short, to bring home Morrow for the win.

Having claimed seven victories in the last eight games, the Terriers will next open Patriot League play at Army West Point on Saturday (March 26) with the first pitch of the doubleheader set for 1 p.m.