The weather wasn’t ideal, but the Massachusetts softball team yet again found a way to get the job done.
After concluding a two-game road trip with a 2-0 win over Connecticut on Wednesday, the Minutewomen (19-14, 8-3 Atlantic 10) returned to their home confines to kick off an 11-game homestand on Thursday afternoon, defeating Fairfield by a score of 1-0 for their 10th consecutive victory.
“This was not a great day to play softball,” said UMass coach Elaine Sortino. “It was tough on both teams, between the wind and the cold, you know, I think it was a tough day.”
With wind gusts piercing through the UMass Softball Complex at almost 40 miles per hour, forcing fly balls to move towards right field, runs were at a premium and the game proved to be a pitcher’s duel between Sara Plourde and Stags starter Sarah Minice.
Following three and a half innings of both pitchers throwing shutout ball and pitching out of a few jams, UMass was finally able to break through in the bottom of the fourth.
With two outs and pinch-runner Stephanie Mix at first base following a Meghan Carta single, Jordan Storro took control of a Minice offering and stretched her single to second to put runners on second and third base. With Cyndil Matthew at the plate, Minice proceeded to throw a wild pitch into the backstop, allowing Mix to score from third to put the Minutewomen up 1-0, a lead they would never relinquish.
That would be all the support that Plourde needed, as she was again her dominant self in the circle. The junior threw a complete game two-hitter, allowing two walks and striking out 12 to improve her record to 17-10 on the season.
Fairfield’s best opportunity to even the score came the very next inning after UMass took the lead. After Tiffany Lawson reached first on an infield hit, she was able to reach third when the ball got through to center field after Carta attempted to throw her out stealing second.
With a runner on third and two outs, Plourde was able to regain control, striking out the next batter to end the threat. The Stags would never reach base again, as Plourde mowed down the next six batters she saw for the victory.
“Obviously she’s a force to be reckoned with,” said Sortino. “We’re lucky in a game where we struggled to put one across that she held them to nothing. I thought it was a great effort on her part. I think they came here and they took their hacks and weren’t shy about it.”
Moving forward, the Minutewomen will have no time to rest as they face four games in three days this weekend and their third consecutive day of action Friday afternoon as they face Syracuse in a doubleheader.
The Orange (29-10, 8-5 Big East) will come into Amherst riding high on a five-game winning streak, the last of which came in a 6-0 shutout victory over Villanova last Sunday.
On the mound, another pitching duel could be in store as both likely starters for SU have reflected dominance this season. Junior Jenna Caira boasts a 20-8 record to go along with her 1.76 ERA and 195 strikeouts, while sophomore Stacy Kuwik is not far behind with a 9-1 record, 2.53 ERA and 73 strikeouts thus far.
At the dish, junior Stephanie Watts leads an explosive Orange attack that has five .300 hitters in its lineup. So far this season, Watts is hitting .336 with 10 home runs and 29 RBIs.
The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the UMass Softball Complex. After Friday’s tilts, the Minutewomen will return to the diamond on Easter Sunday to take on George Washington in another doubleheader scheduled to start at noon.
Stephen Hewitt can be reached at [email protected].
