Game 1- Boston U. 3, Albany 0 Box Score
Game 2- Hartford 1, Maine 0 Box Score
Junior Robyn Horrick pitched her first career no-hitter as top-seeded Boston University defeated No. 4 seed Albany, 3-0, at Post Field in the first game of the America East Softball Championship. Horrick, who was named America East Pitcher of the Year last night, struck out 10 and allowed just one base runner, a two-out walk to Lynette Bohannon in the second inning.
Senior Andi Miller allowed just four hits, all singles, in pitching her third-consecutive complete-game shutout as No. 2 seed Hartford defeated Maine, 1-0.
The Terriers now play the Hawks Friday at 11 a.m. in the winner's bracket of the four-team, double-elimination tournament. The Great Danes will play the Black Bears at 1:30 p.m. in an elimination game.
In the first game, the Terriers, 26-21, got all the runs they would need in the third inning when America East Player of the Year Jamie Haas beat out an infield single, stole second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. America East Rookie of the Year Julie Henneke then plated Haas with a ground ball to short.
Boston University added two insurance runs in the fifth when Aryn Rangel and DeKenya Williams delivered two-out singles to score Haas and Henneke. Haas, who came into the game with a conference-leading .396 average, was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Kristin Couris took the loss for the Great Danes, 29-19, who joined America East last fall. She allowed seven hits in six innings, striking out four and walking two.
Horrick's no-hitter was the first in an America East Championship since 2000 when Delaware's Kristen O'Connell defeated Boston University, 5-0, at Hempstead, N.Y.
In the second game, Miller, who has not allowed a run in 23.1 innings, struck out seven and did not walk a batter, and rookie Liz Borawski singled in all-conference designated player Liz Nadeau with the game's only run.
Nadeau had a one-out single, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Borawski then delivered the run with an RBI single to left field off Maine starter and loser Candace Jaegge, 8-17. Nadeau had three of the Hawks' eight hits, all singles.
The Black Bears threatened in the second inning when senior Erica Sobel led off with a single and was sacrificed to second. But Miller, 9-6, struck out Nicole Taylor, and after Sobel moved to third on a passed ball, struck out Katie Churchill to end any threat. A pair of one-out singles by Jess Brady and Aliesha Rautenberg in the third inning gave Maine its second rally. But Miller had back-to-back strikeouts of Sara Asadoorian and Leigh Ann Hlywak to thwart that uprising.
Sobel singled through the left side to start the fourth inning and, following a popout, moved to second when a bunt by Taylor was mishandled for an error. But Miller was again up to the task, striking out Churchill and getting Rachel Bain to popout to end the inning. Miller then held the Black Bears without a base runner for the final three innings.
Jaegge struck out two and walked three in six innings as the Hawks left 11 runners on base, including three in both the first and sixth innings.