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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Avenging an earlier three-game sweep to Army West Point, the No. 3 seed Boston University softball team opened the 2016 Patriot League tournament with a 3-2 victory against the No. 2 Black Knights on Thursday afternoon at Lehigh's Leadership Park.

With their fifth one-run win of the season, the Terriers improve to 26-22, while the Black Knights fall to 38-18. Senior Melanie Russell (12-9) went the distance, limiting Army to just seven hits with the help of three strikeouts against three walks after receiving the Patriot League Pitcher of the Year Award in the pregame ceremony.

On the offensive end, junior Moriah Connolly went 3-of-4 and scored the first two runs of the game, as BU jumped out to a 3-0 lead through the first three innings before holding on for the win. Sophomore Emma Wong contributed an RBI and run scored, while junior Gabi Martinez and freshman Alex Heinen both had RBI hits. Sophomore Kaitlin Sahlinger also went 2-of-3 at the plate to help the Terriers record a combined nine hits against Caroline Smith (13-10) and PL Rookie of the Year Renee Poirier.

Junior Brittany Younan led off the game with a single and was replaced at first by Connolly on a fielder's choice. After taking second on a groundout, she scored on Martinez's single up the middle. With two outs in the third, she scored again from second on Wong's single. BU added its final run on Heinen's hit to right.

After stranding two on base in the second, Army got on the board in the fifth on a two-out RBI single from Mae Wadyka that plated Smith from third. Smith hurt the Terriers again in the sixth with a two-out RBI single with the bases loaded, but Russell avoided further trouble by getting a soft liner to short.

Patriot League Player of the Year Kasey McCravey tried to continue the rally in the seventh with a two-out single, but Army couldn't advance her with a flyout to left to end the game. 

Now 4-0 all-time in the PL tournament after winning the title in 2014 and missing out in 2015, the Terriers will next face top-seed and host Lehigh on Friday at 9 a.m. The Mountain Hawks won the first game of the day against Bucknell, 1-0, with a run in the bottom of the sixth.

2016 Patriot League Tournament Schedule

Thursday, May 12
Game 1: #1 Lehigh - 1, #4 Bucknell - 0
Game 2: #3 Boston U. - 3, #2 Army West Point - 2

Friday, May 13
Game 3: #1 Lehigh vs. #3 Boston U. - 9 a.m.
Game 4: #2 Army vs. #4 Bucknell - 11:30 a.m.
Game 5: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 - 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 14
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 - 12 p.m.
Game 7 (If Necessary): Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 - 2:30 p.m.