With the weather warming up and daylight lasting a little longer, it officially feels like spring in Boston. The students on campus lounge on the green and break out shorts the second the thermometer is over 60 degrees. But one thing is missing: action on the diamond. Thanks to the mild winter, the fields are ready, and Boston College softball could not be more psyched to begin playing close to home.
The Eagles (19-13, 3-3 Atlantic Coast) opened up play in the North against two city rivals, the Harvard University Crimson (10-11) and the Boston University Terriers (11-16, 0-3 Patriot). The team hoped to bring back two wins before its home opener in Chestnut Hill, but the team fell short and returned to campus with one win under its belt.
On Wednesday, the Eagles headed down Comm. Ave. for a battle against the Terriers. After a quiet first, BC opened up scoring in the second inning. With Madison Paulson on base, Chloe Sharabba hit an RBI single to put BC up 1-0. Allyson Moore then hit a single of her own to send Sharabba home, giving the Eagles a 2-0 edge. BC continued to extend its lead in the third inning after Jessie Daulton singled to plate Loren DiEmmanuele.
Down 3-0, BU looked to answer back in the fourth inning. After loading the bases, BU successfully got within one after singles from Brittany Younan and Emma Wong. In the fifth, Tatiana Cortez made it a 4-2 game after sending the ball over the right field fence for a solo home run. But the Terriers kept on fighting. BU’s Gabi Martinez responded with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to knot the game at 4 apiece.
The Eagles were determined to come back to campus with a win against a heated rival, and they did just that. In the top of the eighth, with Jordan Chimento on third, Sharabba hit an RBI single to plate the winning run and give BC a 5-4 victory.
On Tuesday, the Eagles headed over to Cambridge where their bats were just as cold as the weather. After being knotted at zero for two innings, Harvard started things off in the third. Rhianna Rich reached first on a fielder’s choice before she stole second, and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Meagan Lantz hit an RBI single to bring Rich home before Savannah Bradley’s RBI double, making it a 2-0 game. Allyson Frei continued to stay strong on the mound and recorded a complete game, during which she gave up three hits and two runs, but notched seven strikeouts.
The Eagles finally got things going in the sixth. With one out, Megan Cooley walked. A throwing error by the Crimson’s pitcher allowed DiEmmanuele to reach base and advance to second. Daulton stepped up to the plate with DiEmmanuele and Cooley both in scoring position. Daulton singled, bringing Cooley home, but DiEmmanuele was thrown out at the plate, causing BC to fall 2-1 to the Crimson.
Featured Image by Haley Cormier / Heights Staff
