In a game in which the pitching staff’s efforts once again fell short, the Massachusetts softball team suffered a 16-0 stomping from Boston College in the second game of a doubleheader Monday.
With pitching ace Caroline Raymond out for the Minutewomen (15-24, 8-11 Atlantic 10) after winning the first matchup of the day, Meg Colleran took the loss by allowing 10 hits and five walks for eight earned runs.
The batting lineup didn’t perform up to par much either, as it tallied just four hits in the shutout. With the five-inning outing seeming to just get worse as it went on, head coach Kristi Stefanoni did not take the loss well. In fact, she took it to heart, and expects her players to as well.
“I took that loss very personally,” Stefanoni said. “I told the team that if they didn’t take it personally, we’re on two different planets. I do not like to be beat like that, and this team should never lose like that.”
Colleran and Emma Mendoker had trouble staying in the strike zone, as the two allowed a combined 12 walks in the mercy-rule shortened game.
Mendoker, who allowed seven walks while collecting only one out, threw just two strikes in her first 13 pitches of relief. The third strike she threw highlighted the eight earned runs she allowed, as Tatiana Cortez of the Eagles (23-22, 4-14 Atlantic Coast Conference) hit the ball to the other side of the state for a three-run homerun in the third inning.
“(Walks) is what has gotten us in trouble from the very beginning,” Stefanoni said. “Walks will kill you. (They) have been brutal for us all year, and this is a big problem.
Late inning heroics secure Game 1
Heading into the doubleheader matchup against BC, UMass had lost some of the momentum it built recently by losing three consecutive games against Dayton and Boston University.
That didn’t stop the Minutewomen from displaying some late-game magic as UMass catcher Olivia Godin walked with the bases loaded and two outs, scoring Taylor Carbone in the seventh inning of an 8-7 UMass win.
Godin pinch-hit for Whitney Cooper and knew she had to be especially careful and to make sure she didn’t swing at balls out of the strike zone.
“I just knew to be patient,” she said of her mind set. “I didn’t want to be baited on that low-to-high pitch that the previous two batters went after.
“It means a lot to me (to help the team win),” Godin added. “I wanted to contribute somehow. I was just happy I got a walk.”
Entering the last inning trailing 7-6, Stefanoni knew what she wanted to do if the game got interesting. Aware of Boston College’ Allyson Frei’s unique pitching style, she pre-determined to give Godin a chance at the plate because of her plate discipline.
“Olivia has a better eye with rising pitches,” Stefanoni said. “I knew exactly when the new pitcher came in that I wanted to put her in.”
To start off the seventh inning, senior Bridget Lemire smashed what looked like a game-tying homerun on the first pitch, only to watch it tail foul for her first strike. The blast would have marked her second homerun of the day, as she hit a grand slam in the second inning to give the Minutewomen a 6-4 lead. Instead, she managed to get on base with a single to become the eventual tying run.
“I’m just trying to get line-drive hits and get something started with a base hit,” Lemire said of her approach. “We’re just trying to do it as a team to be honest. Just doing it together is our goal and that’s all I was thinking about (in the game).”
The Eagles scored one run in the top of the fourth after shortstop Jessie Daulton singled to right field scoring outfielder Allison Chase from second base. They once again scored two more in the fifth on a two-out error by third baseman Anna Kelley, giving BC a 7-6 lead.
Tom Mulherin can be reached at [email protected]
