Boston University forced a deciding game in the double-elimination America East Softball Championship by defeating University at Albany, 5-1, and then won the Terriers’ second straight softball crown with a 3-1 victory in the championship game at University Field on the Stony Brook University campus.?
Game 6 Box Score
Game 7 Box Score
Boston University sophomore Julie Henneke was named the championship’s Most Outstanding Player.? She threw back-to-back complete game wins Saturday to enable the Terriers to win the championship, and allowed only six hits and one earned run, while striking out 24, in 23.2 innings in the circle for the weekend.
In the deciding game, the Terriers scored all the runs they would need in the bottom of the first, touching up Albany (34-10) starter Andrea Lindgren for three runs.? Jaime Haas led off the inning with a single. Haas was forced out at second on a fielder's choice off the bat of Abbey Pauley. Henneke singled to advance Pauley to second. Erin McDonald then singled, plating Pauley. Jennifer Shields followed with a two-RBI double, scoring Henneke and McDonald.
The Great Danes attempted a comeback in the top of the seventh.? After an Ashley Rios fly out, Julie Gannon drew a walk.? Maegan Larsen singled, advancing Gannon to third.? Larsen went to second on the throw.? Liz Wiebolt stepped up next and singled up the middle, scoring Gannon and moving Larsen to third.? But the Albany threat ended as Ali Meacham lined out to short, and Larsen was doubled up at third to end the game.
In the day’s first game, Albany jumped out to a quick, 1-0, lead in the bottom of the first inning.? Jen Nolette reached on a Boston University error, and was safe at second in a fielder's choice off the bat of Katrina Dunning. Lindgren reached on an error by the Terrier 3B to load the bases. Meacham then hit into a fielder’s choice, with Nolette being thrown out at home. Larsen drew a walk, forcing home Dunning with the game’s first run.
The Terriers answered in the top of the second inning.? Shields singled, and was sacrificed over by Kristen Knesek. Josey Mendez followed with a single, advancing Shields to third. Haas followed with a single of her own, scoring Shields. Pauley walked to load the bases before Henneke singled to drive home Mendez and Haas, giving Boston University a 3-1 lead.
McDonald connected on a solo home run in the top of the third and Haas scored on a Great Dane error in the top of the fourth to extend the Terrier lead to 5-1.
Albany threatened in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with two outs, but Henneke induced Rios to fly out to center field to end the threat.
Joining Henneke on the all-championship team are teammates Haas, Shields, and Knesek; Lindgren, Larsen, and Stacy Kowal of Albany; Hayley Durham and Angela Andrews of Stony Brook; and Jenna Merchant and Brittany Chaney of University of Maine.
Boston University broke or tied two more America East Championship records, after equaling or bettering eight single-game marks in the Terriers’ 19-6 win over Maine on Friday.? The Terriers connected on five home runs for the championship, breaking their own record set at the 1997 championship.? Shields tied the individual championship record with eight runs batted in, equaling the mark set by Hofstra’s Dana Bennett’s at the 1999 championship.
The Terriers (33-21) advance to the NCAA Division I Softball Championship.? First-round NCAA regional pairings will be announced Sunday, May 11, at 10 p.m. Eastern time live on ESPNews. The bracket will be the first to include 64 teams since the championship began in 1982. Last year's field included 48 teams.
Game 6 Box Score
Game 7 Box Score
America East Softball Championship
May 8-10, University Field, Stony Brook, N.Y.
Thursday, May 8
Game 1--#2 Albany 1, #3 Maine 0
Game 2--#1 Boston University 2, #4 Stony Brook 0
Friday, May 9
Game 3--Albany 3, Boston University 0
Game 4--Maine 5, Stony Brook 2
Game 5--Boston University 19, Maine 6
Saturday, May 10
Game 6--Boston University 5, Albany 1
Game 7--Boston University 3, Albany 1
Boston University wins the America East Softball Championship