A year ago, the Massachusetts softball team faced six ranked opponents as part of a grueling out of conference schedule to open the season. They came up short to all of them.

This season, however, the Minutewomen (5-5) can cross beating a ranked team off the list as they came up victorious over No. 12 Michigan and No. 17 Georgia Tech at the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla. this past weekend.

“[The wins are] enormous,” said UMass coach Elaine Sortino, who is in her 33rd year as head coach. “We’ve been receiving votes here and there in the Top 25 poll, and I think this gives us the opportunity to receive even more.”

Despite the upset victories, the Minutewomen only salvaged a 2-3 record on the trip, which included a 5-0 loss on Sunday to No. 9 Tennessee.

Against the Lady Volunteers, All-American pitcher Sara Plourde was not her usual self. She pitched six innings, surrendering five runs – all earned – on five hits and eight walks. She struck out six in the loss.

Tennessee jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, one it would never relinquish.

Despite being shutout in the game, UMass had one big chance to strike.  In the fifth inning, Teea Rogers’ single to right was followed by another single by Christine Della Vecchia to put two runners on. Cyndil Matthew then reached on a fielder’s choice, but a pop up by Quianna Diaz-Patterson ended the threat, which was the only major one of the game.

Despite the loss, Sortino was encouraged by her team’s effort.

“It was a lot closer than the score sounds,” said Sortino. “It was a 2-0 game until two outs in the sixth, and there was actually a pretty good battle going on.”

Saturday split

On Saturday night, the Minutewomen dropped another one, this time to Illinois in a closely contested 4-2 game.

Freshman pitcher Bridget Lemire got the nod, but suffered her first loss of the season. She threw all seven innings, but gave up 10 hits, four runs – none of which were earned – and struck out two.

“I thought she threw a great game, [but] we committed five errors behind her,” said Sortino. “I feel that we’re making those plays two to three weeks from now once we get settled on the field.”

Lemire – who earned her first career win against Michigan State on Feb. 11 – will be relied on heavily this season behind Plourde, especially with the loss of sophomore pitcher Caroline Raymond, who Sortino is unsure will be able to play this season due to an injury.

“[Lemire] threw three times better in the loss against Illinois than she did in the win against Michigan State,” said Sortino. “I thought Bridget did very well and obviously that’s just going to help Sara as time goes on.”

On Saturday afternoon, however, Plourde showed exactly why she’s in the discussion for National Player of the Year. She threw a no-hitter – making it 10.5 for her career – and struck out 15 to lead the Minutewomen past the No. 17-ranked Yellow Jackets, 1-0.

In the first inning, Matthew led off, drew a walk and eventually came around to score after two wild pitches and a hit batter. It would prove to be all Plourde needed, who only allowed two base runners the rest of the way.

“I’m hoping for greater consistency [this season],” said Sortino of her outlook on Plourde’s senior year. “The fact that she can move the ball around a lot more than she could a year ago makes her really tough to be reckoned with.”

Plourde dominates Wolverines

On Friday night, Plourde was just as good, fanning 16 and surrendering only two hits to lead UMass to victory over No. 12 Michigan, 1-0.

“I don’t think there’s a Michigan team in Michigan history that struck out 16 times in one game,” said Sortino. “That’s a very strong team.”
The Minutewomen didn’t record a hit until the fourth inning when Matthew hit a double. Kyllie Magill brought her to third on a groundout, and then Katie Bettencourt singled to left to score the eventual game-winning run.

Plourde then kept the Wolverines at bay, holding them to just one hit from there, and she struck out the side in the seventh to seal the Minutewomen’s first victory of the weekend.
In its first game of the tournament, however, UMass didn’t fare nearly as well. Plourde pitched only four innings and gave up six runs as the Minutewomen fell to DePaul, 8-0, in a shortened five-inning game.

“The DePaul game was a travesty,” said Sortino. “I cannot even explain to anyone in all of my coaching years what was wrong with our team in that game. It was like no one could do anything.”

The Blue Demons lit up Plourde early and often. They scored a run in the first on a throwing error by Stephanie Mayne, and built on their lead in the second, using a double to score a runner and a pair of wild pitches to extend the lead to 3-0.

After the lead was pushed to 6-0 in the third, Plourde was pulled in the fifth for Lemire, who didn’t fare much better. She surrendered two runs on illegal pitches that ended the game.

UMass will now move forward and prepare to head back south this weekend, as it will compete in the Easton Alabama Invite in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The Minutewomen will play No. 2 Alabama on Saturday, a game sandwiched in between two games each with UAB and Maryland.

Sortino is hoping to see better results from her offense, which mustered only four runs in five games this past weekend.

“I think the whole team is going to get a little bit better every week, but the thing that we really need more than anything is for our offense to start driving the ball a little bit,” said Sortino. “This team can hit … I have great confidence in our offense, I think it’s going to be a very potent offense.”

Stephen Hewitt can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_Hewitt.