The Massachusetts softball team welcomed the newly-named Sortino Field with a bright spot, holding off Boston College to win 8-7 on Wednesday.
UMass (4-16, 1-1 Atlantic 10) broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning when Lindsey Webster hit a shot down the left field line that hit off the foul pole for a home run to give the Minutewomen a 4-3 lead.
“I really just wanted to hit the crap out of it,” Webster said. “I just wanted to get on base for my team and get something started, and I’m excited it went out.”
Two batters later the rally began. UMass got back-to-back singles from Taylor Carbone and Christine Della Vecchia. After Samantha Gray flew out to center field for the second out, Cyndil Matthew, Quianna Diaz-Patterson and Katie Bettencourt hit three straight singles to drive in a combined four runs to give the Minutewomen an 8-3 advantage.
The Eagles (8-15, 0-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) would not back down, though. In the next half inning, Maria Pandolfo led off with a high fly ball that the wind carried over the right field fence for a homer.
BC then loaded the bases on a fielding error, a single and a walk. Teea Rodgers came up with a big play on a ground ball just in front of the plate to get the runner at home for the second out. But Alana DiMaso and C.J. Chirichigno responded with back-to-back singles that drove in three more runs for the Eagles, bringing them within one run.
However, after she reloaded the bases with another walk, pitcher Emma Mendoker struck out Pandolfo looking to end the threat.
Mendoker came back out for the final inning, and three outs later, the Minutewomen had their first home win. UMass coach Elaine Sortino said she was going to have Mendoker finish the game no matter what and that tough games like this one are good learning experiences for her.
“The only way that Caroline (Raymond) and Emma (Mendoker) are going to get better is to come through these experiences,” Sortino said of her pitchers. “Everybody has to remember that they don’t have game experience. They need to know how to come through tough innings. You don’t learn unless you’re out there.”
Mendoker (2-7) gave up seven runs in the game (three earned) on eight hits and struck out three.
The Eagles gave Mendoker a rough first inning, scoring three runs off a two-run homer by DiMaso and a throwing error by Diaz-Patterson. But the Minutewomen responded quickly in the second inning, taking advantage of a throwing error by BC pitcher Chelsea Dimon, a wild pitch and a fielding error by Chirichigno to score three runs of their own.
Dimon (6-6) pitched four and two-thirds innings, gave up eight runs (five earned) on 11 hits, struck out four and was credited with the loss. Stephanie Lord came in for relief and pitched the remaining one and a third innings and gave up no runs on two hits.
Della Vecchia, playing for the first time since the second game of the season after missing 17 games with a torn knee ligament, went 3-for-4 with one run scored and one run-batted-in.
“We were so dead down at the bottom of the order, and there wasn’t a life down there, and (Della Vecchia) brought it back for us,” Sortino said.
Sortino said that this game gives the team a chance to turn things around after their tough start to the season.
“I think it lets us breathe,” she said. “I think it lets us turn a corner, I think it lets us move onto other things, where we’ve just been sort of stuck with the same stuff, and I think it brings in some new aspects of the game that we’ll be able to work on the next two days.”
The Minutewomen return to Sortino Field on Saturday for a double-header with conference opponent St. Bonaventure. The first game is set to start at noon with the second game following shortly after.
Jesse Mayfield-Sheehan can be reached at [email protected] and can be followed on Twitter at @jgms88.
