Softball Ends California Trip with Win over Sacramento State, Loss to Nebraska

Saturday, March 12

Long Beach, CA

12 PM ET

Boston University

11-13

Nebraska

14-6

Nebraska

Boston University

Emily Gant makes contact with the ball at home plate, slapping it down the third base line.

Photo by: Dawson Powers

Softball Ends California Trip with Win over Sacramento State, Loss to Nebraska

March 12, 2022 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Nebraska Box (L, 5-2)Sacramento St. Box (W, 6-4)

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Wrapping up the 12-game trip in California, the Boston University softball team bounced back from a 5-2 loss to Nebraska with a 6-4 win over Sacramento State on Saturday afternoon at Long Beach State's Louisville Slugger Invitational.

With the doubleheader split, the Terriers move to 12-13. They owned a 2-1 lead in the sixth in the first game, but the Huskers (14-6) used three homers to pull away. In the second contest, the Hornets (11-11) scored two unearned runs to start the game, but BU scored six straight runs, including four in the third, to claim the win.

Both senior Emily Gant and junior Caitlin Coker recorded three hits apiece on the day with Gant adding three runs and Coker delivering a two-RBI triple against Sacramento St. Senior Aliyah Huerta-Leipner gave BU the lead against Nebraska with her first homer of the season, a two-run blast, in the second inning. Starting the first game, junior Allison Boaz (7-4) held the Huskers to one earned run in 4.1 innings of work and then pitched the final 6.2 innings of the second contest, allowing two earned runs for the win.

GAME 1: Nebraska 5, BU 2

HOW IT HAPPENED

Nebraska was the first to threaten with a one-out single and stolen base, but Boaz earned a pair of ground outs to keep the game scoreless.
Gant started the bottom half with a single and took second on sophomore Lauren Keleher's sac bunt before Huerta-Leipner homered to center for the 2-0 advantage.
The Huskers earned a double and walk in the third but again grounded out.
Nebraska broke though in the fourth with two singles against Boaz followed by a one-out walk and RBI single against junior Lizzy Avery (5-8).
Avery prevented further damage with inducing a 1-2-3 double play.
The Terriers drew a walk and hit-by-pitch in the bottom half, but Nebraska's ace Olivia Ferrell (8-3) earned a ground out.
The Huskers took the lead for good in the sixth after striking out and grounding out with back-to-back solo homers, a single and third homer.
Ferrell retired the final eight Terriers to claim the win.

GAME 2: BU 6, Sacramento State 4

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Hornets had two on base to start following a walk and misplayed sac bunt from the Terriers.
Sacramento St. followed with a single against Avery, but Keleher threw a bullet home for the tag to be applied in time.
With two in scoring position, Boaz entered in the circle and allowed a pair of RBI singles before getting out of the inning on a liner to left.
Keleher provided the spark in the third with a lead-off double before reaching home along with freshman Tyesha Williams on an errant throw toward home on a bases-loaded grounder to short.
Coker extended the lead to 4-2 with a two-RBI triple to center.
Gant scored the fifth run in the top of the fourth by singling to left and advancing to third on back-to-back ground outs before reaching home on Williams' infield single.
Gant added one more run in the sixth by singling up the middle, advancing to second on a wild pitch, taking third on Keleher's single through the left side and then reaching home plate when Keleher got into a rundown trying to steal second.
Trying to mount a rally, the Hornets loaded the bases on three straight singles but only managed one run on a sac fly to right that led to a double play, as Keleher threw the ball to Coker at third to apply the tag in time.
Boaz earned her lone strikeout to keep the Hornets' runner stranded at third.
Sacramento St. brought the game-tying run to the plate in the seventh after hitting a one-out solo homer and two-out single, but Boaz earned the ground out to seal the victory.

UP NEXT

BU will take the next week off and then host Merrimack in a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22.
The Terriers won all four games last season against the Warriors by a combined score of 31-4.