After being down 2-0 in the top of the fifth, the Massachusetts softball team rallied one run back, before suffering a road defeat and extending its losing streak to three games. UMass (6-21, 1-5 Atlantic 10) fell 4-1 to Bryant after the comeback attempt fell short.
Brooke Musch got her fifth RBI of the season with a sacrifice fly ball in the left field foul territory, sending Grace Colucci home from third.
Colucci got on base twice throughout the game with a walk and a single. This was her first hit of the season and her first appearance since the Minutewomen played Troy on March 7.
Coming off pitching 8.1 innings over two games against George Washington, Hannah Streicher appeared for her sixth start of the season for UMass. Over the course of the season, Streicher has only given up one home run and struck out 19 batters.
After the Minutewomen cut the lead to one following Musch’s RBI in the bottom of the fifth, the Bulldogs (11-14, 3-0 America East) looked to extend their lead. With Laniya Lewis on first, sophomore outfielder Makenna Coleman hit a two-run home run to left field. The long ball marked Coleman’s fourth home run of the season.
This was the second of the two home runs that Streicher gave up throughout the game. The first home run of the game, which gave Bryant a 2-0 lead and an insurance run, was hit by freshman Bryce Clendenin in the bottom of the third. Clendenin hit prior home runs against Lafayette and Colgate.
Streicher has now faced over 400 batters during her collegiate career following Wednesday’s start. She went four innings, striking out three, giving up four runs and two home runs. Julianne Bolten relieved Streicher following Coleman’s homer and finished the game for UMass.
Bolton was coming off pitching a complete game during the first game of the George Washington series and the first four innings in the third game. She struck out two in the closing two innings. She currently places ninth all-time in Minutewomen history in strikeouts, with 358. Meg Colleran, who graduated in 2018, resides in eighth with 380.
In the top of third, UMass threatened to tie the game up or even take the lead. The Minutewomen had a bases-loaded opportunity with Grace Colucci on third, Brooke Musch on second and Sophia Thormeyer on first with two outs. Bryant pitcher Chloe Jewitt got out of the jam when Odyssey Torres lined out to second base, as Sam Rohwer made the catch to retire the side.
Jewitt made her third start of the season for the Bulldogs. She went five innings, giving up just one earned run, one strikeout, and walking two batters. This game was the fewest runs Jewitt has given up in a game since March 8 against Stetson.
UMass left more runners on base compared to Bryant, 5-4. The Minutewomen left more runners on base this past weekend against George Washington as well, in two out of the three games.
The Minutewomen entered the matchup with a 5-0 undefeated record against the Bulldogs. This is the first time that UMass has fallen to Bryant, with the first matchup dating back to May 5, 2016 when UMass was victorious 8-1.
UMass will continue its road trip by traveling to Fairfax, Va. and returning to A-10 competition for a three-game series against George Mason. The series kicks off on Saturday, March 29, with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m.
Jonathan Murgida can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @jonathanmurgida.
