HAMILTON, N.Y. – Boosted by 10 extra base hits, the Boston University softball team opened the six-game road trip with a doubleheader sweep at Colgate on Saturday afternoon.
Extending the nation's longest active win streak to 22 contests, the Terriers (33-13, 11-0 PL) batted .431 on the day with a 31-5 advantage in hits to earn a 9-1 game-one victory and 16-3 (5) game-two run-rule decision against the Raiders (17-19, 7-4 PL).
Junior and reigning Patriot League Player of the Week
Caitlin Coker batted a combined 6-for-9 with seven RBIs and three runs scored, while senior
Emily Gant went 5-for-8 and tied a program record with seven RBIs in the second contest. Both Terriers delivered a grand slam after senior
Nicole Amodio hit a two-run bomb in the first matchup. In the circle, juniors
Lizzy Avery (15-8) and
Allison Boaz (18-4) combined for nine strikeouts, as BU also extended the NCAA's longest active road win streak to 13 games.
GAME 1: BU 9, Colgate 1
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Terriers got to Bailey Misken (8-11) with eight singles through the first three innings but left the bases loaded in each one.
- Colgate took advantage of a lead-off error in the fourth with a one-out double and RBI sac fly to center but would not manage another hit the rest of the game against Avery.
- BU was again in danger of stranding multiple runners on base again in the top of the fifth before junior Audrey Sellers delivered a clutch two-out RBI single up the middle.
- Coker then prompted a pitching change by doubling up the middle for the Terriers' first extra base hit and a 3-1 advantage.
- With the bases loaded again in the sixth, Sellers (walk) and Coker (hit-by-pitch) both added an RBI in the sixth to extend the lead to 5-1.
- Sophomore Kayla Roncin (double), sophomore Lauren Keleher (triple), Gant (single) and Amodio (home run) put the game away with four straight hits to start the seventh.
- Avery sealed the victory with her sixth strikeout.
GAME 2: BU 16, Colgate 3 (5 inn.)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- BU needed little time in the first inning of the second contest to grab the lead, as the Terriers loaded the bases without a hit before Gant launched a 2-1 pitch toward center for the grand slam.
- The Raiders cut the deficit in half with a two-run homer and had a runner with one out on base thanks to an error, but Boaz kept the lead with a 4-6-3 ground out double play.
- The Terriers loaded the bases a second time in the second inning on a walk, single and error to set up Keleher's RBI sac fly and then Gant's two-RBI single through the right side.
- With two on base, BU added another run after Amodio and Sylvestri were both hit by a pitch.
- Colgate scored one more run in the bottom half on a two-out RBI single but would not manage another hit the rest of the way against Boaz.
- Gant added one more RBI by plating Roncin (double) with a single down the right field line and then scored on graduate student Jen Horita's RBI double.
- After Boaz struck out the side, Keleher hit a RBI double to put the game at 11-3 in the fourth.
- The Terriers added five more runs in the fifth on Amodio's RBI single and Coker's grand slam for the 16-3 run-rule decision.
GAME NOTES
- In her last three starts, the reigning PL Pitcher of the Week Avery has recorded two one-hitters (vs. UMass, at Colgate) and a no-hitter (vs. Holy Cross).
- In the second game, Gant tied the RBI record in a game set previously by BU Hall of Famer April Setterlund ('11) in both 2010 and 2011 and then by Gabi Martinez ('17) in 2015.
- With a pair of doubles on the day, Roncin moved into a three-way tie for ninth all-time at BU for hits in a season at 66 total.
- Amodio moved up to ninth all-time at BU with 16 career homers.
- While the Terriers batted 23-for-50 (.460) with runners on base, they only went 2-of-13 (.154) with bases loaded after entering the game 15-of-47 (.319) in such situations.
- BU now owns a 24-1 lead in the series with Colgate following its third run-rule victory against the Raiders and first double-digit offensive output.
UP NEXT
- BU will seek the sweep against the Raiders on Sunday (April 24) at 12 p.m.
- The contest will be available on ESPN+.