WEST POINT, N.Y. – After completing the Patriot League tournament opener with a 1-0 victory over No. 3 seed Lehigh, the No. 2 Boston University softball team run-ruled No. 1 and host Army West Point, 8-0, in six innings Saturday afternoon to reach the championship round.

With the two victories, the two-time defending PL champion Terriers (38-17) are now 20-0 all-time in the first two contests of the tourney. They will need to face the Black Knights at least one more time Sunday morning (May 11) at 10 a.m. on ESPN+ to clinch the automatic NCAA bid with a second contest to follow if necessary.

Junior Kasey Ricard (26-10) led the way combining for 15 strikeouts against 10 hits and zero walks allowed. She first pitched five scoreless innings against Lehigh (28-23) on Thursday before the matchup was suspended until Saturday and then retired all six Mountain Hawks she faced for the first complete-game shutout. After a 30-minute break, she returned to the circle against the Black Knights (34-21) and limited the regular season champions to six hits to help the Terriers open a conference tourney with back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1995.

At the plate, sophomore Sophie Naivar delivered the first-game heroics with a solo homer in the fourth inning against Lehigh. In the second contest, junior Brooke Deppiesse went a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBIs, two doubles and a run scored, while both freshman Camryn Lyons and sophomore Kyomi Apalit earned two RBIs apiece. Besides catching all nine innings on the day for Ricard, sophomore Livia Christopher scored two runs vs. Army.

GAME 1: (2) BU - 1, (3) Lehigh - 0 ***game suspended in the 5th Thursday, completed Saturday

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Mountain Hawks threatened in the second with two on base thanks to a fielding error and one-out single, but Ricard battled back for an infield pop up and foul out to right.
• Lehigh earned another one-out single in the third before grounding out and striking out swinging.
• The Terriers earned a hit-by-pitch in both the second and third innings but were unable to advance the runners.
• Ricard started the fourth with a strikeout and responded to a one-out double with two more strikeouts to keep the game scoreless.
• After Lehigh earned a pair of outs in the bottom half, Naivar smoked a pitch to center for the 1-0 lead.
• Trying to tie the game, PL Rookie of the Year Kelly Fricker singled the center in the top of the fifth but ended up stranded on base due to a ground out to third.
• Lightning delayed the game at that point, and rain followed shortly thereafter to suspend the game till Saturday at 10 a.m.
• Senior Tyehsa Williams started things off with a pinch-hit infield single to third, swiped second with two outs and then tried to reach home plate on a wild pitch, but the tag was ruled to be in time to end the inning.
• The Terriers had another opportunity to add runs in the sixth with a two-out single and walk, but Ricard did not need insurance, as she retired all six Mountain Hawks to seal the victory.

GAME 2: (2) BU - 8, (1) Army West Point - 0 (6 inn.)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The host Black Knights earned a single in each of the first two innings but were unable to advance the runners against Ricard.
• After leading off the game with a single, Deppiesse broke the scoreless deadlock in the top of the third with a two-out double down the right field line that plated Christopher, who started things off by driving a one-out single to right and advancing all the way to third on a fielding error.
• Ricard followed up in the bottom half with two strikeouts to keep the lead.
• In the top of the fourth, junior Megan Coyle reached second on a dropped ball in left and scored on freshman Kieren McHugh's one-out RBI sac fly.
• With two outs, sophomore Sophie Naivar took first on a hit-by-pitch and then energetically ran home on Apalit's two-run blast to left for the 4-0 lead.
• The Black Knights responded with a lead-off double and one-out single to put the runners at the corners, but Ricard kept Army off the scoreboard with a pair of fly outs, as she broke the program record for innings pitched in a season at 235.2.
• BU took advantage of another Army error in the fifth with freshman Camryn Lyons singling to left for two RBIs and 6-0 advantage on the scoreboard.
• After scoring one of the runs on Lyons' hit, Deppiesse delivered another two-out hit, this one in the sixth to plate both freshman Addie Lucier and Christopher.
• Trying to avoid the run-rule defeat, the Black Knights led off with a single and added a two-out single before ending the contest on a ground out to second.

2025 Patriot League Softball Championship Schedule
West Point, N.Y. // Army Softball Complex

Thursday, May 8, 2025
Game 1 – #1 Army West Point 3 vs. #4 Bucknell 2
Game 2 – #2 Boston University 1 vs. #3 Lehigh 0, Suspended in the bottom of the 5th; Resuming Saturday at 10 a.m.
 
Saturday, May 10, 2025
Game 2 – #2 Boston University 1 vs. #3 Lehigh 0
Game 3 – #1 Army West Point 0 vs. #2 Boston University 8 (6 inn.)
Game 4 – #3 Lehigh 3 vs. #4 Bucknell 5
Game 5 – #4 Bucknell 1 vs. #1 Army West Point 6

Sunday, May 11, 2025
Game 6 – #2 Boston University vs. #1 Army West Point – 10:00 am
Game 7 – #1 Army West Point vs. #2 Boston University (if necessary) – 12:30 pm, 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 6