CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Opening its 35th season, the Boston University softball team suffered heartbreak with a pair of seventh-inning one-run losses to both ACC power Notre Dame and Conference USA preseason favorite Charlotte on Friday afternoon at the Green & Gold Classic.
The 2021 NCAA regional finalist Fighting Irish (2-0) were one out away from defeat but took advantage of a defensive miscue with a two-run homer by All-American Abby Sweet to escape, 4-3. In the second contest, the tournament host 49ers (3-0) scored the game's last two runs as well with a solo homer in the fourth and walk-off double in the seventh. Coincidentally, BU played both teams immediately after they posted run-rule wins against fellow Patriot League member Bucknell (9-1, 21-0).
Juniors
Lizzy Avery (0-1) and
Allison Boaz (0-1) shared pitching duties in both contests and combined for 13 strikeouts against 11 total hits allowed. At the plate, senior
Nicole Amodio delivered a game-tying two-run bomb in the first contest before finishing the day 3-of-5, and sophomore
Kayla Roncin put BU on the scoreboard first against Charlotte with an RBI double in the top of the fourth. Junior
Caitlin Coker tied Roncin with two hits, including a triple against Notre Dame that set up graduate student
Jen Horita's fifth-inning go-ahead RBI grounder.
BU will wrap up the two-day event by facing the same two teams again Saturday (Feb. 12), starting with the Fighting Irish at 10 a.m. and the 49ers at 12:30 p.m.
