Coming off a five-inning mercy loss to No. 14 Duke the day before, Boston College softball entered the final inning of its Saturday morning game against Providence down three runs.
The Eagles had only put one runner on base before the seventh inning—their lone run had come after Emma Jackson scored on a passed ball in the second inning.
Jackson’s triple in the second stood as the only hit, as BC’s offense struggled to produce much fire, but things would change very quickly.
BC (5–4) rattled off five runs in the top of the seventh inning and shut down the bottom half versus the winless Friars (0–7) to avoid consecutive losses.
After a leadoff single from Providence’s Elisa Smith in the bottom of the first, she was pushed to third on a couple of groundouts. Hanna Aldrich’s single brought Smith home for the Friars’ first runs of the Bubly Invitational and a 1–0 lead over the Eagles.
But BC had an answer of its own. Soon after, Jackson reached home on a passed ball to tie it up in the top of the second.
Providence’s Julia Renny, who reached on an error, was sent to third base after a single and a fielder’s choice in the second inning. Becca Weaver went in to pinch run for Renny, and with Rachael Petrarca stealing second after her fielder’s choice, Smith’s two-RBI single brought both runners home to give the Friars a 3–1 lead.
Both runs conceded by BC pitcher Shannon MacLeod in the second inning were unearned, but she was pulled after only 1.2 innings for Kelly Colleran.
Colleran would dominate the mound through the last inning, pitching 4.1 innings with only one earned run and four hits allowed.
The Eagles would go 1–2–3 for the next three innings, but Providence’s Cameron Dunn’s leadoff home run in the fourth was the only pressure the Friars would apply to BC’s defense.
Down 4–1 with only one hit on the board, BC entered the final inning with some work to do. And after only posting four runs in its past 18 innings, it was vital for the offense to get rolling.
With a leadoff single from Hannah Slike and a four-pitch walk from Maycee Hilt the next at-bat, the Eagles were ready to do some damage.
But a strikeout and a fielder’s choice the next two at-bats threw BC’s seven-inning comeback up in the air—until the Eagles rattled off four straight base knocks.
Jordan Stephens’ double to left-center brought BC within one run, driving home Jackson and Tavye Borders.
Then, Janis Espinoza, Kali Case, and Gator Robinson cracked three straight singles to earn a two-run cushion.
Bailey Kendziorski was handed the save opportunity and delivered, retiring three Friars with ease for her second save of the season.
BC kicked off its last game of the Bubly Invitational versus the tournament’s host—No. 2 Florida—right after the conclusion of its win over Providence.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, their fiery seventh-inning offense didn’t carry over to their matchup versus the undefeated Gators (12–0), as they suffered a 3–0 loss on Saturday afternoon.
BC had an opportunity to strike first early, with Hilt leading off the second inning with a single through the left side.
After a single from Espinoza, Stephens’ groundout advanced the two runners to second and third, but Meghan Schouten was punched out on three straight strikes to send both teams to the dugout scoreless.
Kendziorski retired six straight to start the game, but the Gators eventually got the best of her with Rylee Holtorf’s double, bringing Mia Williams home from first base for a 1–0 lead in the top of the third.
The Eagles had another leadoff single in the fourth inning thanks to Slike, but that momentum quickly died when Hilt grounded into a double play in the next at-bat.
After a scoreless bottom of the fourth, Florida still held its 1–0 lead, and the Eagles hoped to get back on offense without going down any more runs.
But three straight singles from the Gators led to two more runs off Kendra Falby’s RBI single and Korbe Otis’ sacrifice fly, giving them a 3–0 lead.
Kendziorski would hold down the fort for the remainder of the game, but BC couldn’t respond facing an impressive Gators’ pitching staff that hadn’t allowed a run in their past two games, and the Eagles came away with a 3–0 loss.
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