The unanticipated, steady 50-degree temperature is satisfying for most weather-beaten New Englanders, and it is a hopeful sign of an early spring for anyone sick of the frigid, biting air that is Massachusetts. For the Massachusetts softball team, the contentment goes beyond the desertion of a cold winter.
The Minutewomen (11-11, 2-0 Atlantic 10), after taking long road trips to the West Coast and the South to play in warmer climates and face tougher teams, will finally take the field in the Pioneer Valley when they take on Dartmouth (7-10) today at the UMass Softball Complex.
The Maroon and White will compete for the first time at home in a doubleheader, with Game 1 slated for 2 p.m. today and Game 2 at 4 p.m.
The contest will take place after the Minutewomen clobbered George Washington on Friday, sweeping the Colonials in a doubleheader, without ever slowing down. In those two games, UMass combined for a total of 21 hits, while freshman pitcher Brandice Balschmiter and senior pitcher Jenna Busa allowed no runs and just three hits.
Balschmiter continues to turn heads with her young delivery in the circle. The rookie currently has an ERA of 0.96, a personal record of 9-5 with one save, and has struck out 112 batters in 116.2 innings.
The offensive firepower that cranked out 15 runs Friday was spearheaded by senior K.J. Kelley and freshman Whitney Mollica, who were both recently honored by the A-10 for their performances.
Kelley nabbed Co-Player of the Week, while Mollica was named the Rookie of the Week for the fourth consecutive time. So far this season, Mollica leads the Minutewomen in batting average among starters with a mark of .377, as well as RBIs with 20. Kelley has 11 RBIs, while knocking three homers out of the park, two of which came during Game 2 of the rout of the Colonials.
One tool that UMass coach Elaine Sortino has utilized so far in 2006 is the breakout game of junior Amanda Acampora. The Orange, Conn. native leads UMass in home runs this season with a whopping five in 21 games, and has compiled 15 RBIs. Acampora put the icing on the cake against GW on Friday by hitting a grand slam in Game 1.
The game against the Big Green this afternoon is a rematch of an unusual battle which took place in Amherst last season on March 31. In that doubleheader, UMass easily took apart Dartmouth 7-0 in Game 1, but the Big Green got their act together for Game 2 and made things difficult for the 2005 Minutewomen. The UMass Softball Complex does not have lights, and with daylight savings not in effect, the contest was inevitably called by the umpires with the two teams tied 2-2, due to dark conditions.
Although darkness may be an issue at the tail end of this contest as well, UMass will look to depend on its two pitchers to keep Dartmouth at bay and avoid another fallout.
The Big Green have won three straight, after capping off their spring trip with victories over Hartford, Vermont and then Hartford again. Sophomore pitcher Angela Megaw leads the Big Green in the circle, holding an ERA of 3.38 this season while posting 55 strikeouts.
