NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Boosted by two strong pitching performances and four home runs, the Boston University softball team claimed a doubleheader sweep at Merrimack by a combined score of 16-1 on Wednesday afternoon.
In total, the Terriers (5-1) finished with a 19-1 advantage in hits over 12 innings to extend their win streak to four games. Senior
Ali DuBois (4-0) started off in the circle with a personal-best 14 strikeouts against two walks and a solo home run for the complete-game 7-1 victory. Making just her second career start, sophomore
Allison Boaz (1-0) followed up with five strikeouts against two walks in a 9-0(5) win to claim BU's 25th-ever no-hitter with DuBois the last to accomplish the feat in 2018.
Reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Week
Lauren Keleher continued her strong start at the plate by hitting a combined 4-of-7 with a homer and triple. Junior
Nicole Amodio went 3-of-4 with a two-run blast, three RBIs and three runs scored. Sophomore
Audrey Sellers and freshman
Kate Pryor delivered the other two homers.
GAME 1: BU 7, Merrimack 1
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Warriors struck first in the bottom of the second when Courtney Lanpher homered against DuBois for what proved to be Merrimack's lone hit of the day.
- Limited to one hit through the first three innings, BU turned to small ball to provide an offensive spark.
- Junior Aliyah Huerta-Leipner started with a walk and then took second on junior Emily Gant's bunt single before scoring on Amodio's mishandled sacrifice bunt.
- Sellers followed freshman Alex-Rose Molinar's RBI grounder with an RBI bunt to push the lead to 3-1.
- Trying to rally, Merrimack earned a pair of two-out walks in the bottom half, but DuBois ended the threat with a swinging strikeout.
- BU added three runs off four hits in the fifth with Keleher starting the inning on a homer.
- Amodio and Molinar followed Huerta-Leipner's single with back-to-back doubles to extend the lead to 6-1.
- Freshman Lauren Nett plated one more run in the seventh on an RBI single.
- DuBois sealed the win with her 14th strikeout and a pair of ground outs.
GAME 2: BU 9, Merrimack 0 (5 inn.)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Sophomore Caitlin Coker singled to center, took third on Keleher's single and gave BU the lead for good on Gant's RBI grounder.
- BU's bats exploded with seven runs off five hits in the second with Sellers, Amodio and Pryor all launching pitches to center.
- Keleher added another extra-base hit with an RBI triple to left.
- Senior Patricia Dun doubled to left in the top of the fifth before eventually scoring on senior Marina Sylvestri's bases loaded RBI hit-by-pitch.
- The Warriors had a total of three runners get on base via two walks and a throwing error but were never able to advance the runners against Boaz.
- Boaz recorded a strikeout in three of Merrimack's last four at-bats to seal the shutout.
DOUBLEHEADER NOTES
- Boaz became the third Terrier under head coach Ashley Waters to pitch a no-hitter with DuBois accomplishing the feat at Army on March 31, 2018 and Lauren Hynes ('16) shutting out Holy Cross on April 30, 2016.
- Holli Floetker ('12) was the last Terrier to no-hit a non-conference opponent in an 8-0(5) win over Rhode Island on April 19, 2012.
- DuBois moved into a tie for fifth all-time in the PL at 64 career victories.
- The Terriers faced the Warriors for the first time since 1991 and made their first trek to North Andover since 1990.
NEXT UP: MERRIMACK
- The Terriers will face the Warriors two more times on the road starting at 1 p.m. on Thursday (March 11).
