The Massachusetts softball team must do one single thing in the upcoming week to become the 2006 regular season Atlantic 10 champions – win.
With a No. 1 slot in the conference standings and a doubleheader sweep of A-10 rival Rhode Island yesterday afternoon, the fate of the Minutewomen’s regular season lies in their hands.
UMass (32-13, 16-2 A-10) can help its cause when it faces non-conference Maine in another doubleheader today at the UMass Softball Complex, with the first game kicking off at 3 p.m. and the second at 5 p.m.
Sophomore Stacy Cullington helped the Minutewomen’s cause today, and didn’t waste any time doing so. After Rhody designated player Alyssa Martino singled to right field in the first inning of Game 1, UMass responded.
Candice Molinari doubled to left field, setting up freshman Whitney Mollica, who put the Minutewomen on the board with a single. After KJ Kelley scored Mollica, Cullington stepped up to the plate and smashed a homer to left field, putting UMass up 5-1 early on. The home run was Cullington’s fourth of the season, as she has registered 22 RBIs.
Two more RBIs was all Rhode Island could muster up in the first half of the doubleheader, as pitcher Brandice Balshmiter was able to hold the Rams scoreless through the final five innings of play. Another RBI by Mollica in the fourth inning, and powerful hitting by Lauren Proctor and Kelley put the game out of reach as UMass went on to win 8-3.
Mollica’s six RBIs on the afternoon tied the single-season A-10 record, as the freshman has compiled a whopping 56 in 2006.
Four of those 56 RBIs came in Game 2, as the Minutewomen capped off the sweep with a decisive 11-3 tromp of the Rams. The first two innings were scoreless as UMass pitcher Jenna Busa and URI pitcher Jill Anderson dueled it out. Although an errant throw gave the Rams the first score of the game, the Minutewomen broke Anderson, rattling off six runs in the third.
A single by Mollica put up the first two runs for UMass and hits by Proctor and junior Amanda Acampora made things difficult for URI. Senior Lesley Ferrara put things away for good with her second homer of the season in the fifth inning.
The win was the ninth for Busa, who has come through big as of late for UMass. The pitcher from Lexington currently has an ERA of 4.80 with 55 strikeouts. Her counterpart, Balshmiter, has been heating it up all season, compiling 234 strikeouts and a 0.71 ERA.
Today’s contests are just the beginning of a chaotic week for the Minutewomen, as they will travel to Chestnut Hill tomorrow to take on Boston College, hop on a plane for a clash against St. Bonaventure in New Orleans, LA, on Friday, and then will return to the Pioneer Valley on Sunday for senior day against Connecticut.
The game against the Huskies is the final one of the season, before the start of the A-10 championships on May 11.
