Ever since pitcher Sara Plourde became the NCAA leader in strikeouts, her name has been associated with Massachusetts softball alums Danielle Henderson and Brandice Balschmiter.

During Game 1 of yesterday’s double-header with Rhode Island, the sophomore broke two records, recording nine strikeouts in six innings. Plourde became the third Minutewoman of all-time to hit the career 500-strikeout mark and passed Henderson’s 1998 strikeout total of 430, who eventually led her team to a third College World Series.

Plourde is currently 25 strikeouts away from reaching Henderson’s all-time mark of 465, which she set in 1999.

“It shows that my work is paying off,” Plourde said of her accomplishment. “I just have to keep pushing and making more challenges for myself.”

UMass coach Elaine Sortino, however, was surprised to learn that her sophomore became the No. 2 single-season strikeout leader.

“That’s great, I guess. Good for her,” Sortino said.         

Plourde reached 430 strikeouts in the third inning, which was her 228th inning pitched this season. Henderson reached the same mark junior year in 256 innings.

During the former ace’s senior season, she broke her own record in 234 innings. Although Plourde is on pace to break Henderson’s record in 1999 before the May 5th game against Boston College, she will set the record in significantly more innings.

However, she still averages 12.94 strikeouts per seven innings, second to Henderson’s 1999 average of 13.91 strikeouts.

Plourde’s short tenure with the Maroon and White already put her in the career record books as well as the third player to reach 500 strikeouts.

The only pitchers to reach that achievement are Henderson (1,348) and Balschmiter (1,218). Before UMass hosted the Rams, Plourde was tied with Kelly Daut, the Minutewomen’s predecessor to Henderson.

Plourde is on pace to break Henderson’s career record if she continues to play as much as she has this season.

Sortino believes that despite Plourde’s accomplishments, it’s a little premature to be comparing her to Henderson, who pitched for Team U.S.A. softball during the 2000 Olympics.

“[Plourde] is a very different kind of pitcher,” Sortino said. “I think Sara is still a little young. I think Danielle had a little bit more control, but she was also in her junior and senior year when these things started to happen.”

Although she leads the country in strikeouts and is the third UMass player to reach 30 wins in school history, she’s also issued 78 walks this season. Plourde struggled with finishing the game at times in the seventh inning.

In Game 2 against the Rams, Plourde allowed two hits after pitching six and one-thid no-hit innings. But Sortino has no complaints about her progress as a sophomore.

She stepped into the role as the team’s ace after senior Bailey Sanders struggled to replace Balschmiter’s production early in the season. Despite pitching just 49.2 innings in 2009, she made significant progress in her second season with the Minutewomen.

Plourde pitched her first game on Feb. 12 against North Carolina State, where she had a shutout with 10 strikeouts through five innings. Her first complete game shutout came two weeks later on Feb. 27 against Illinois State where she had her first no-hitter and fanned 18 batters.

The sophomore has five losses on the season and her last came when she gave up two runs to Long Beach State on March 21.

Plourde established her presence primarily with her speed and pitch variation, focusing mainly on using her rise ball to get batters out.

“We’re very pleased to have her where she is as a sophomore, especially considering she didn’t play very much last year,” Sortino said. “She’s just coming into herself and this one’s had to do a lot this year so I feel pretty pleased.”

The closest pitcher to catching Plourde in strikeouts this season is fellow Atlantic 10 pitcher Jen Mineau, who plays for Fordham. She currently has 414 strikeouts this season and is the only other player with more than 400.

The two pitchers dueled earlier this season, but Plourde held the advantage in both games as UMass topped the Rams, 3-2, in Game 1, and 2-0, in Game 2 on April 3.

Adam Miller can be reached at [email protected].