BOSTON – Just two days after the running of the 126th Boston Marathon, the Boston University softball team wrapped up a six-game homestand with a 3-2 11-inning thriller against Boston College that lasted over three hours on Wednesday afternoon.
Extending their win streak to a nation's best 20 games alongside Arizona State and the home win streak to a second-best 24 contests behind No. 1 Oklahoma (32), the Terriers improve to 31-13, while the Eagles drop to 19-21 following a matchup of two top-75 RPI squads.
Sophomore
Kayla Roncin delivered the heroics with an RBI triple in the first inning and a two-out, walk-off RBI single in what proved to be BU's longest home game since a 6-5 (12) victory over Stony Brook in 2009. She went 3-for-5, while junior
Caitlin Coker batted 4-for-5 with a run scored. Junior
Lizzy Avery (14-8) pitched five scoreless innings with the help of nine strikeouts for the win after classmate
Allison Boaz held BC to just one earned run through the first six innings off five strikeouts.
The defense stepped up in the 11th after two reached base with zero outs to keep the game tied, as junior
Audrey Sellers threw a runner out trying to steal third and later tagged a runner out on sophomore right fielder
Lauren Keleher's throw home.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- BC started the game with a lead-off walk and one-out single before Boaz ended the threat with back-to-back strikeouts.
- Coker led off in the bottom of the first with a double and eventually scored on Roncin's triple to right center for the 1-0 advantage against Peyton Schackenberg, who previously no-hit UMass and shut out then-No. 2 Florida State.
- BU extended the lead to 2-0 in the fourth by taking advantage of two errors, as senior Emily Gant scored on classmate Nicole Amodio's infield single.
- After turning a double play to end the fifth, the Eagles struck back in the sixth with a one-out, two-RBI double by Hannah Slike that was preceded by an infield single and throwing error.
- Slike moved to third on a passed ball but then got caught tagging too far from third on a line out to center for the double play.
- BU started the bottom half with a hit-by-pitch and successful sac bunt before Anderson earned back-to-back strikeouts.
- BC advanced a runner to third on a single, stolen base and ground out before Avery recorded her first strikeout to end the threat.
- Coker applied pressure on the Eagles with a single in the seventh and also in the ninth before moving to third on a stolen base plus error, but BU couldn't break the deadlock.
- After striking out the side in the ninth and earning a pair of strikeouts in the 10th, Avery ran into trouble with a single and infield error.
- Sellers stepped up by throwing a runner out trying to steal second and then following Avery's ninth strikeout by tagging a runner out at home on Keleher's throw from right field.
- Sophomore Kate Pryor helped put the game away by getting hit by a pitch, taking second on Coker's single and then scoring on Roncin's two-out RBI single up the middle.
GAME NOTES
- Coker's four hits tied a personal best set last season against Lafayette.
- Roncin has posted three hits six times this season, as she earned her ninth multi-RBI game of the season.
- Boaz extended BU's scoreless streak to 34 innings before the Eagles hit the two-RBI double.
- The Terriers are 24-26 all-time against BC with their fourth straight win in the series.
- BU is now 13-0 this season against New England schools with notable wins vs. Boston College, UConn and UMass.
- BU improved to 1-2 in extra-innings games this season following earlier losses to Charlotte (9 inn.) and Utah State (8).
UP NEXT
- BU will end the regular season with nine Patriot League games, starting with a visit to Colgate over the weekend for a three-game series.
- Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's rubber game are set to begin at 12 p.m. on ESPN+.
