In its final tournament before conference play begins, the Massachusetts softball team lost four of five games this past weekend.
The Minutewomen (4-15) split the first two games of the UNCG Invitational on Friday, then lost their final three games of the weekend. Julianne Bolton and Natalee Horton shined over the weekend on the mound, with each of them pitching a complete game. Horton and Bolton struck out a combined 28 batters, as Bolton struck out 17 batters in her two starts and Horton struck out 11 in two starts and one relief appearance.
A six-run third inning led UMass past University of North Carolina Greensboro (14-12), 7-2 in the first game of the tournament, snapping its eight-game losing streak. Four RBI coming from the pitcher and catcher combo of Bolton and Lydia Castro were the biggest pieces of the inning.
Castro doubled down the left field line, allowing Bella Pantoja and Chloe Whittier to score. Bolton followed with a double to left center field, scoring her battery partner Castro and Abby Packard, making the score 4-0.
Bolton also struck out six batters while allowing five hits on 123 pitches in seven innings.
The second game was a different story as the Minutewomen lost a close pitching duel to Charleston Southern (11-11), 3-2. UMass held the lead for the most of the game but gave it up in the final inning as an error by Natalee Horton put the Buccaneers Cadence Walding on at first and advanced Emma Villaescusa to third. The error led to both runners scoring off of two fielder’s choices by the Minutewomen defense.
Despite the loss, Horton struck out four batters on three hits in seven innings, earning her third complete game in six starts.
Day two of the tournament was less thrilling for UMass as UNCG got its revenge on the Minutewomen, beating them 8-2 under the lights. After tying the game at the top of the third inning off of a fielding error by Spartans Rylie Williams, UMass struggled to respond after giving up two home runs in the bottom half of the fourth, allowing four runs to come in for the Spartans.
To wrap up the tournament, UMass lost both games in its doubleheader, falling 3-0 to Merrimack (3-16) and 6-3 to UMBC (5-7).
In the first game, UMass outhit the Warriors 5-4 but could not capitalize with runners in scoring position. The Warriors put the nail in the coffin with a two-run home run to left center field by Courtney Lanpher in the sixth inning. It was not all bad against the Warriors as Bolton continued to pitch well, striking out 11 on only four hits.
Against the Retrievers, UMass attempted to come back late, putting up three runs in the sixth inning with Pantoja hitting an RBI single that set up Jenna Bradley, who hit a two-run shot to left field, bringing them both in to make it 4-3. It was all for not, however, as Horton gave up two runs in the bottom of the sixth as the Retrievers’ Ella Squires hit a two-RBI single with Julia Colton and Macy Granzow coming home.
Following this tournament, the Minutewomen head onto the road to Missouri to open up conference play where they will face Saint Louis in a three-game series, starting with a double-header on Saturday, March 16. First pitch starts at noon and game two gets underway at 2 p.m.
Benito Marinero-Rodriguez can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @bmrodriguez12.
