NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Helped by eight combined extra-base hits and senior
Ali DuBois' 16 strikeouts, the Boston University softball earned a second doubleheader sweep at Merrimack on Thursday afternoon.
Both juniors
Nicole Amodio and
Emily Gant homered in the 8-0(6) game-one victory and then tallied two RBIs apiece to help the Terriers (7-1) rally in a 7-3 game-two win. The two-time Patriot League Pitcher of the Year DuBois (6-0) collected her third shutout of the season and then tallied eight strikeouts in 3.2 innings of relief to defeat the Warriors (0-4) a second time on the day.
Overall, Amodio and Gant combined for nine of BU's 15 RBIs. Classmate
Aliyah Huerta-Leipner tied them at three hits apiece while reaching home plate a team-high four times, and sophomore
Allison Boaz recorded the other homer in the second contest.
GAME 1: BU 8, Merrimack 0 (6 inn.)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Terriers loaded the bases on walks by sophomore Caitlin Coker, Huerta-Leipner and Gant before Coker was caught trying to take home on a wild pitch.
- With two outs on the next pitch, Amodio singled to right center for two runs and later added a third in the top of the third with a two-out solo shot to center.
- Huerta-Leipner kept the pressure on with a two-out RBI single to right in the fourth to plate freshman Alex-Rose Molinar.
- Molinar later followed sophomore Audrey Sellers' RBI double with an RBI single to extend the lead to 6-0 in the fifth.
- Huerta-Leipner put the run-rule effect into play by hitting a triple and scoring on Gant's inside-the-park homer in the top of the sixth.
- Merrimack avoided being no-hit for the second consecutive game with a two-out single to left before DuBois earned her eighth strikeout to seal the victory.
GAME 2: BU 7, Merrimack 3
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Warriors took the lead against Gant with a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the second.
- Boaz came right back with a lead-off homer in the third to tie the game.
- Merrimack earned a pair of singles in the third but Gant was able to get ouf the jam.
- Sophomore Lizzy Avery started the fourth in the circle with a strikeout but ran into trouble with two walks and infield single.
- The Warriors took the lead against DuBois with a bases-loaded walk and two-out RBI single before leaving the bases loaded with a swinging strikeout.
- Boaz provided the offensive spark for BU by leading the fifth with a double before eventually scoring on Coker's RBI single up the middle.
- Gant and Amodio later recorded back-to-back two-RBI doubles to put BU ahead for good, 6-3.
- Senior Marina Sylvestri added an RBI single in the seventh with two outs.
- DuBois sealed the victory with three swinging strikeouts.
NEXT UP: Boston College
- BU will visit crosstown rival BC on Friday, March 19, with the doubleheader set for 2 p.m.
- The Terriers won the last meeting at home in 2019, 3-2, with a walk-off triple by Emily Morrow ('19).