BOSTON – In a key weekend series featuring the last two Patriot League champions, the Boston University softball team will host preseason favorite Lehigh with both Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's rubber game slated to begin at 12 p.m. The two programs have claimed a pair of tournament crowns over the last four years.
Winner of the last six PL regular season titles, the Mountain Hawks currently sit atop the conference standings at 5-1 following a sweep over Lafayette and series win against Colgate after posting a 16-2 record last season. The Terriers are currently 2-1 after winning last weekend's series at Army West Point and earning a 14-3 record in 2017.
TERRIER TIDBITS
- BU is currently 18-16, its best start through 34 games since opening the 2014 season at 19-15 ... This year's team is 2-8 in one-run decisions; the 2014 squad went 8-5 during the same stretch.
- The Terriers are hitting .276 and holding teams to .257 while claiming a 16-3 advantage in triples and 26-10 lead in sacrifice hits.
- Senior Emma Wong leads BU at .349 with 21 runs scored and has successfully reached base in each of the last 20 contests ... She also has 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts.
- Junior Alex Heinen is just behind at .348 with two homers and team-high 26 RBIs ... She owns a team-high 13 extra-hit games and eight multi-RBI performances ... The catcher has also thrown out 11 runners attempting to steal a base.
- Junior Madi Killebrew (.336 avg.) has a team-high 11 doubles, while senior Brittany Younan (.271 avg.) has a team-high eight triples and 26 runs scored.
- Both senior Jilee Schanda (.259 avg.) and junior Alexa Ponce (.241 avg.) are tied for second on the team with 18 RBIs apiece ... Schanda has three triples, while Ponce owns two homers alongside Heinen.
- Freshman Ali Dubois (12-5, 2.15 ERA) is the reigning PL Pitcher and Rookie of the Week after tossing a no-hitter last weekend at Army West Point and holding Boston College to just three hits in a 1-0 loss ... She's tallied 76 strikeouts in 110.2 innings and is holding opponents to .238.
- Freshman Cali Dolfi (4-7, 2.30 ERA), sophomore Lizzie Annerino (1-3, 2.47 ERA) and sophomore Kali Magane (1-1, 4.20 ERA) have all made at least 11 appearances in the circle this season.
SCOUTING LEHIGH
- The Mountain Hawks are on a four-game win streak following Wednesday's 8-6 eight-inning win over defending A-10 champion Fordham ... Lehigh swept Lafayette by a combined score of 13-2 after falling at Penn, 12-3, in six innings.
- Lehigh owns other non-conference wins against Yale, Central Connecticut State, Savannah State and Elon.
- The Mountain Hawks are hitting .248 while holding opponents to .274 ... Lehigh only owns three homers this year against 11 allowed but has burned teams with its speed, posting a 61-29 advantage in stolen bases.
- Former PL Rookie of the Year Nicole Yozzo leads Lehigh in hitting at .300 with 27 hits, 26 stolen bases and 17 runs scored.
- Yozzo's fellow 2017 All-PL second team honoree, Mary-Hannah Smith, is hitting .300 with a homer and team-high 15 RBIs ... Reva Alderman (.246 avg.) owns the other two homers with 13 RBIs.
- In the circle, Parker Boyd (8-8, 3.30 ERA) has gone the distance 11 times with 86 strikeouts in 97.2 innings with opponents batting .260 ... Emily Sorem (2-9, 3.90 ERA) has made the other 13 starts and has tallied 39 strikeouts in 70.0 innings.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Terriers are 8-10 all-time against Lehigh with the Mountain Hawks posting a 5-1 record last season ... BU won the first-ever doubleheader between the two teams in 1996 during the NCAA Play-In Round.
- After being swept on the road during the regular season last year by a combined score of 30-10, the Terriers defeated Lehigh, 14-7, in the Patriot League semifinals ... However, the Mountain Hawks bounced back and reached the championship round via the consolation bracket and edged BU twice, 1-0 and 4-3, to claim the automatic NCAA berth.
- Lehigh is visiting Boston for the first time since 2016 ... Due to inclement weather, the teams only managed to play a doubleheader with each squad claiming a victory ... BU went on to beat the Mountain Hawks in the PL semifinals, 6-2, en route to the tournament crown.
- In 2014 at home, the Terriers rebounded from a 3-0 loss by winning the next two contests by a combined score of 14-8.
