BOSTON - The top-seeded Boston University softball team scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to rally for a 3-2 win over fourth-seeded Colgate in the opening round of the Patriot League Tournament at BU Softball Field Thursday afternoon.
With their fifth one-run victory of the year, the Terriers improve to 39-15, while the Raiders drop to 19-27.
Junior Caitlin Coker began the rally by drawing a one-out walk before advancing to second thanks to an opposite-field single by sophomore Lauren Keleher. Sophomore Kayla Roncin, the 2022 Patriot League Player of the Year, stepped to the plate and slapped the ball towards second base. The shortstop fielded the grounder but dropped the ball as she tried to step on second, which allowed Coker to come around and score. That set the stage for senior Emily Gant's heroics, as she drove home freshman pinch runner Tyesha Williams with a single up the middle for the winning run.
Gant's game-winning single was her team-best second hit of the afternoon, as she finished the day 2-for-4 at the dish. Coker and Keleher both went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks. Not only did Coker score the tying run but she also knocked home senior Aliyah Huerta-Leipner for the game's first run.
Junior Allison Boaz scattered four hits, struck out six and allowed just one earned run in seven innings of work to earn to improve to 21-4 on the season.
THE SETUP
- Boaz retired the side in the top of the first thanks to three swinging strikeouts.
- The Terriers loaded the bases with two outs in their half of the first but Colgate got out of the jam unscathed.
- Roncin made a fantastic diving catch on an infield blooper and it proved to be a run-saving play as the next batter reached with a double. Instead, Boaz stranded that runner at second and kept the game scoreless.
- BU got on the board in the bottom of the second. After one-out singles by Huerta-Leipner and junior Audrey Sellers, Coker ripped a single up the middle that plated Huerta-Leipner.
- Keleher then drew a five-pitch walk to load the bases for Roncin, but Colgate's second baseman made a terrific play to end the inning. She snagged Roncin's line drive and then stepped on second to complete the double play and hold the Terriers to just one run.
- Colgate threatened in the top of the third as the first two hitters reached, but Coker made a great diving catch in foul territory to get the first out before Boaz induced two straight groundouts to end the frame.
- The Raiders evened the score in the top of the fourth. The leadoff batter reached on an error and advanced to second on a sac bunt before being singled home. Boaz regrouped and retired the next two Raiders to escape further damage.
- Colgate loaded the bases with one out in the top of the sixth and took the lead with a sac fly, but the Terriers took advantage of a baserunning mistake and threw out the runner at second on the play to end the inning.
- After the Terriers went down in order in the bottom of the sixth, Boaz held the Raiders scoreless in the top of the 7th to set the stage for the comeback.
GAME NOTES
- Increasing her hit total to 79 on the season, one shy of tying the school record, Roncin extended her hit streak to six games; she has secured a hit in 12 of her last 13 games.
- This was Gant's third straight multi-hit game and her sixth multi-hit effort over the Terriers' last eight contests. Four of those six multi-hit performances have been against Colgate.
- Her 46 RBIs are tied-for-fourth most in a season at BU.
- Boaz owns a 0.32 ERA over her last three outings and a 0.38 ERA at home since the start of April. Her 21 wins are tied-for-eighth most in a season at BU.
- Coker has scored a run in all four of her Patriot League tournament appearances.
- The Terriers are now 18-2 all-time in the PL tourney with their first one-run victory since edging Army, 5-4, in the 2021 opener.
UP NEXT
- BU will face No. 2 seed Lehigh on Friday (May 13) at 11 a.m. with the winner advancing directly to Saturday's (May 14) championship round.
- No. 3 Army and Colgate will face off in the first elimination game at 1:30 p.m. with the winner taking on the loser of the BU-Lehigh matchup at 4 p.m.
