With a chance to lock up its first series victory over No. 13 Florida State in program history and to win as many games in two days as it had against the Seminoles in the previous 37 matchups, Boston College softball was outplayed by the visitors in the rubber match and handed a disappointing 5-0 loss.
The Eagles (22-17, 9-5 Atlantic Coast) scraped together just three hits on the day, failing to put any pressure on FSU (36-8, 13-2) starter Kylee Hanson, who retired eight in a row in the middle innings and finished off the complete game shutout and allowed just six baserunners.
She outdueled BC’s Allyson Frei, who couldn’t replicate her complete game shutout from the day prior. Frei gave up five runs on six hits, issuing a trio of walks and hitting two batters while managing just four strikeouts.
Without any offensive support, the Eagles were out of it from the beginning. It was a tough reality check for BC, a team that hadn’t lost two games in a row since March 18. Still, playing close in the Friday doubleheader against one of the ACC’s best was a positive sign.
“We didn’t really show up today,” head coach Ashley Obrest said after. “That first win against a top-25 team and an ACC win was pretty impressive, though.”
“I think it was a great streak, no matter what teams we played or who we beat. When you put together the amount of wins we did in a row, I think it’s pretty special.”
On Saturday, FSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead, tallying in each of the first two innings. In the first, Carsyn Gordon was hit with one out, stole second, and moved to third on a groundout. That set up Zoe Casas, who grounded a ball to the right side. BC first baseman Cami Sellers dove for it, but it slipped by into the glove of second baseman Olivia Markopoulos—who didn’t have anywhere to go with it as Gordon raced home.
In the second, it was a similar route—Elizabeth Mason walked, stole second, moved to third on a groundout, then raced home on a wild pitch.
Eventually, Frei settled down, scattering a pair of hits over the next three innings. In the sixth, things started to break down for the Eagles. Jessie Warren drew a walk to open the frame, prompting a visit to the pitching circle, but it didn’t do much to settle her down.
She gave up back-to-back singles to load the bases, where Mason brought in a run with a sacrifice fly to left. Sabrina Stutsman followed with a single to right center, chasing two more runs across—and even though she was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double, she still provided insurance.
Hanson skirted around trouble in the seventh, giving up a leadoff single to Carly Severini and walking Jordan Chimento with one out, but beared down and induced a groundout and a flyout to finish off her 21st win of the season—one shy of the conference lead. She retired 13 of the final 16 batters she faced, showcasing the stuff and control that has her leading the ACC with a sub-1.00 ERA.
The loss was a hard one for the Eagles, who found themselves with a chance to take the series from the team directly ahead of them in the conference standings. Instead, it’s just an expected series loss against an FSU team that they’ll have to go through if they eventually aim to make a deep run in the ACC Tournament.
Featured Image by Kaitlin Meeks / Heights Editor
