After starting the UNCW Tournament with two shutout losses on Friday, the Massachusetts softball team desperately needed a win. On Saturday, the Minutewomen (5-10) got the win, scrapping their way to a 2-0 triumph over Rider.
Riley Kairer continued her scorching start to the season in the second inning, smacking a triple to center. Just a few pitches later, Kairer scored off a wild pitch by the Bronco’s (1-3) Fallyn Stoeckel. One inning later, Riain Keefe singled to reach base before being driven in by Sophia Thormeyer’s double to right center. Kairer now leads the team with a .333 batting average and .985 OPS, while Thormeyer sits behind her with a .270 batting average.
The two-run cushion was plenty for Minutewoman Julianne Bolton, who pitched a complete game shutout. She held Rider to two hits while striking out five, earning her third win of the season. Bolton, UMass’ leader in strikeouts last season, is off to a solid start so far this season, sitting at a 3-2 record with a 4.06 ERA.
UMass couldn’t carry the momentum from Saturday’s first game into its second, falling 4-2 to UNCW.
The Seahawks (11-2) exploded for three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, putting the game away. Madison Biddle started the rally with an infield single. After Sierra Persinger reached on a fielder’s choice where the Minutewomen failed to cut down Biddle at second, UNCW had runners on first and second with one out. Maggie Pertee flied out, but another error put Allison Corbin on first base and load the bases. Morgan Britt drew a walk to drive in the first run of the inning before Lauryn Richardson’s single drove in two more, capping off the inning and giving UNCW a late 4-0 lead.
UMass still had a chance to push the game to extra innings after Odyssey Torres got hit by a pitch, putting a runner on first with one out. Sarah Keagy, last season’s homerun leader for the Minutewomen, stepped in with a chance to cut the Seahawks lead in half. Keagy picked up where she left off last year, crushing a two-run homerun, making it a 4-2 game. That was all the offense UMass could muster as Taylor Barlow slammed the door to get her first save of the season for UNCW.
The Minutewomen lost a second straight game to end the tournament, losing to DePaul 4-2 on Sunday.
The Blue Demons (7-6) grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second inning off a two-run Bibianna Rodriguez single, but UMass battled back in the fourth. Keagy started the rally by reaching on an error and after Ella Stevenson smacked a single to center, the Minutewomen had two runners on with one out. Kairer took advantage, singling to drive in one run. Torres continued the hit parade, driving a ball through the left side of the infield, tying the game.
DePaul immediately responded in the bottom of the fourth. Rodriguez singled up the middle, collecting her second hit of the game. Morgan Rogers bunted her way on base, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Hannah Streicher got Baylee Cosgrove to fly out, but an error at third by Thormeyer allowed the runners to advance to second and third. A sac fly from Carly Alvers was all the Blue Demons needed to score the go-ahead run.
UMass looks to bounce back in a three-game series against Troy in Alabama. The series is set to start on Friday, March 7th with game time TBD.
James Rust can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @James__Rust.
