The Massachusetts softball team picked up where it left off last season in Atlantic 10 play. The Minutewomen were unbeaten in A-10 play in 2007 and have started 4-0 in 2008.
The Minutewomen (14-11) have gone 8-2 since the start of spring break. Sophomore pitcher Bailey Sanders highlighted the week when she threw her first career no-hitter in an 8-0 win over Rutgers on March 16. The Minutewomen went 3-1 at the USF Under Armour Classic in Clearwater, Florida. They went on to split two games with South Florida (winning 2-0, and losing 2-1) before opening the A-10 portion of the schedule.
With the four conference wins UMass extended its A-10 winning streak to 23 games. The Minutewomen make their home debut this Wednesday against Dartmouth.
The A-10 winning streak almost hit a bump as Fordham held a 2-1 lead going into the top of the seventh. Fordham got to junior pitcher Brandice Balschmiter, scoring two early runs. Balschmiter only surrendered one hit after the first inning.
In the top of the seventh, second baseman Stacy Cullington led off the inning with a double. Third baseman Whitney Mollica singled to left field and advanced to second on the throw to third. Sarah Reeves flied out to center, but the runners were unable to tag. With one out, right fielder Samantha Salato doubled to right center to score both runners. Sophomore catcher Jessica Serio added an insurance run with an RBI double. Balschmiter closed out the Rams hitters, 1-2-3, in the bottom of the inning.
UMass defeated Fordham, 1-0 in Game 2. Sanders pitched a two-hit shutout over seven innings, while striking out two. Reeves scored the only run with a leadoff homer in the second inning. It was the first homerun of Reeves’s career. She is hitting .275. Serio went 5-for-7 with four doubles in two games against the Rams. Serio is hitting a team-high .329 with an on-base percentage of .420. Before spring break UMass coach Elaine Sortino said she wanted the hitting to break out. Over 10 games, the Minutewomen’s batting average has gone from .218 to .237.
While the Minutewomen could only manage five runs in two games against Fordham, the bats came alive against La Salle, scoring 21 runs over a two-game set. The pitching was equally as dominant as Balschmiter and Sanders combined for 19 strikeouts.
In the first game, the Minutewomen scored a season-high nine runs behind seven shutout innings from Balschmiter, allowing one hit and striking out 11. The 9-0 win was the Minutewomen’s largest margin of victory this year. Sophomore shortstop Whitney Williams went 4-for-4 with two doubles and four RBI’s. The Minutewomen scored five runs in the first three innings and pulled away in the seventh, scoring four runs. Balschmiter recorded her ninth win of the season and lowered her ERA to 0.92.
In Game 2 UMass broke its season-high from the first game by scoring 12 runs and had their largest margin of victory with a 10-run win. Sanders gave up two runs in the first inning but then threw six scoreless innings. Sanders also had eight strikeouts and picked up her fifth win of the season. Salato went 4-for-9 with two homeruns against La Salle.
USF Under Armour Classic
Last weekend, as most students left for spring break, the Minutewomen played four games in Florida. Balschmiter pitched a seven shutout innings and allowed one hit, while striking out four in a 1-0 win over Radford. Reeves doubled in the game’s only run in the sixth inning.
Indiana took UMass to extra innings before taking a 2-1 victory. The Minutewomen scored one run in the first inning and could not give Balschmiter anymore support. She pitched eight innings giving up two runs, one earned.
UMass defeated Florida International, 2-0. Balschmiter got her third consecutive start, shutting out FIU. Cullington and Williams both went 2-for-3.
Sanders no-hit Rutgers in an 8-0 win, earning Atlantic 10 Player of the Week in the process. Mollica went 2-for-3 with two RBI’s. Cullington hit a homerun in the top of the seventh.
Steve Games can be reach at [email protected].
