After two weekends in Fort Myers, Fla., Boston College softball closed out its appearance in the Florida Gulf Coast University Kickoff Classic on Sunday.
The Eagles (5–5) fell to Belmont (3–2) 9–3 on Sunday, one day after it split a Saturday doubleheader, defeating Memphis (3–6) by a final score of 7–2 and falling to Belmont 3–2.
The Bruins jumped to a quick start on Sunday with a single from Elison Ollinger in the top of the third inning. Ollinger advanced after teammate Baie Ensio was hit by an Abby Dunning pitch. Abi Ledbetter then brought Ollinger home with an RBI single, and Kristen Green hit a three-run homer to end the inning with Belmont ahead 4–0.
BC countered in the bottom of the fourth. The inning started with a Darien McDonough single to right field. McDonough advanced to second after Abigail Knight hit another single. Elisabeth Laviolette struck out next, but Nicole Giery brought McDonough home with a single to center field, putting the Eagles on the board with one run.
A quiet fifth inning followed, but Belmont came out hot in the sixth with a five-run scoring streak. Indy Cockrill, pinch running for Alicia Veltri, ran home from second on Emma Barnes’ RBI double. A wild pitch from Dunning put Gabrielle Givers, pinch running for Audrey Lyle, on first, and Emily Cockrill’s subsequent single brought Barnes home.
Belmont kept its foot on the gas with a single from Cheyenne Cavanaugh, which scored Emily Cockrill and Givers. Green’s single to left scored Cavanaugh, ending the inning 9-1.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles attempted a comeback. Despite the Eagles’ two runs in the sixth, BC didn’t find any more scoring success for the remainder of the game, and the Bruins pulled away on top.
On Saturday, BC defeated Memphis before falling to Belmont.
The Eagles’ second game of the day resulted in a loss. Both sides were scoreless through the first three innings. In the fourth, the Eagles went down 2–0.
Two runs in the fifth inning for BC—the first from Erika Andal and the second from Ellie Mataya—tied the game 2–2 going into the sixth. The Bruins broke the tie in the sixth and went up 3–2. The Eagles had two hits in the seventh and a chance for the go-ahead run, but with two players on base and two outs, Knight popped out to end the game.
During the first inning against Memphis earlier in the day, the Eagles scored two runs and established a lead that they maintained for the rest of the game. McDonough scored the first run after a triple from Knight. Knight made it two when she stole home for her first run of the season.
The Tigers switched their pitcher halfway through the second inning, but it was not enough to stop the Eagles from scoring. Valido hit a single to left-center field, sending Kennedy Labshere to third and Gianna Sarlo home. A Mataya double then scored two more runs. Knight scored her second run of the game in the third.
The Eagles hit a slump in the fourth and fifth innings, scoring no runs while the Tigers scored two. Mataya’s run in the sixth, however, broke the cold streak and put the Eagles ahead by five.
Saturday’s first game was another strong showing from BC’s freshmen class, with Hannah Slike and McDonough contributing to scoring plays. Knight, a junior, led the teams in hits through both games with a combined total of five. Mataya registered four hits.
Featured Image by Jess Rivilis / Heights Senior Staff
