After the top of the first inning, it looked like Boston College softball would be in for a tough afternoon against Syracuse. After all, freshman pitcher Camryn Dolby conceded two runs in the top frame to the visiting Orange. Yet, BC’s lineup quickly responded and Dolby settled in, paving the way for a 10-2 BC victory.
The Eagles (10-15, 2-3 Atlantic Coast) added one run in the bottom of the first. Lexi DiEmmanuele started the game by drawing a walk and crossed home plate due to tremendous base running. In fact, the Eagles did not have a hit in the first frame, but DiEmmanuele racked up a steal and two advancements on passed balls.
In the second inning, the Eagles’ offense exploded. After the first two BC batters recorded outs, the next nine Eagles reached base. Maddison Hamilton started the two-out surge with a single. Three batters later, Ellie Mataya drove in two runs with a single. Consecutive hits by Emme Martinez, Gianna Boccagno and Allyson Moore put four more runs on the board for BC.
Syracuse (9-18, 1-4) attempted to stop the bleeding by turning to Miranda Hearn to replace Sophie Dandola. Unfortunately for the Orange, BC kept hitting. Freshman Carlie Sanders drove in Moore on a single. The inning finally closed with Hamilton striking out. In all, the Eagles scored seven runs on eight hits in the frame—taking a decisive lead that Dolby would protect with ease.
From there, the Eagles coasted. Dolby did not give up another hit until the sixth inning. Dolby picked up where she left off on Friday afternoon—when the freshman threw five scoreless innings of relief—striking out five batters in a masterful performance. She scattered three walks and two hits and was never really threatened in a comfortable day against one of the conference’s weaker lineups.
In the bottom of the sixth, BC added two more runs. Emme Martinez drove in Mataya with a double. After hitting a walk-off single on Friday, Martinez continued to deliver. On the season, Martinez is second on the team in RBIs (14) and batting average (.319). The 10th run crossed the board, thanks to a single from Moore. It was a fitting end for the designated player—she paced the Eagles with three hits and 2 RBIs on the afternoon.
BC had four players on the day with two RBIs, leading to a season-high 10 runs. In addition to Moore; Mataya, Martinez and Boccagno all drove in two runs. Saturday’s win also marks BC’s first winning streak since it downed Chattanooga and Pennsylvania in early March, a good first step for a team that has wrestled with inconsistency.
On Sunday, the Eagles will look to sweep the Orange. At the very least, they’ve taken the series, and in the extremely difficult ACC, it is important to take care of winnable games. What’s more, it’s exciting to see offensive production from so many different players. After all, even after the outburst BC currently ranks second-to-last in the conference in runs scored. It remains to be seen if the Eagles will be able to repeat this type of offensive showing—prior to Saturday, they had scored more than five runs just five times in 24 games—but if they can, they might be able to pick up a few more conference wins.
Featured Image by Ikram Ali / Heights Editor
