CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- As the America East softball schedule kicked off last week, this week's award winners led their teams to solid campaigns. Junior shortstop Melissa Dubay (Auburn, Wash./Auburn Riverside) led Boston University offensively to a 6-1 week, including a three-game sweep of Vermont, to capture the Player of the Week honors. Albany hurler Leah McIntosh (Whitby, Ontario/Sinclair) earned three wins in the Great Danes' four game win streak on her way to her third Pitcher of the Week Award, while Maine freshman Terren Hall's (Bucksport, Maine/Bucksport) extra-inning heroics earned her way to the Rookie of the Week for the period ending March 30. Click here for full PDF Weekly Release.
Dubay batted .500 (10-for-20) in seven games last week, blasting six of her 10 hits for extra bases. She hit three doubles, one triple and two home runs to drive in eight runs total. Dubay also recorded two walks and two strikeouts. The shortstop drove in the game-winning runs in a 3-1 win over St. Peter’s and was 3-for-6 in the doubleheader vs. Vermont.
McIntosh captures her third pitching honor this season with a 29-strikeout week in three appearances. The sophomore hurler went 3-0 in three complete games, and recorded her first career no-hitter in a 1-0 victory over Kennesaw State. In 19 innings of work, McIntosh posted a 1.47 ERA, and allowed seven hits, four runs (all earned) and seven walks.
Hall helped the Black Bears to their first two victories of the season, knocking in the game-winning runs against Stony Brook with a 12th-inning home run. The rookie hit .450 for the week with nine hits in 20 plate appearances. She came around for three runs, drove in eight runs, walked twice and struck out twice. Four of Hall’s hits went for extra bases (two 2b, two HR).
Team Notebooks:
UAlbany (10-9 overall record, 1-0 in AE) went 3-1 last week... The Great Danes split a doubleheader at Kennesaw State before sweeping crosstown-rival Siena in the home opener... UAlbany defeated America East opponent Binghamton 11-3 in five innings in the conference opener before having the second game called due to darkness on Sunday evening... Sophomore hurler Leah McIntosh (Whitby, Ontario/Sinclair) went 3-0 on the week, including her first career no-hitter in a 1-0 shutout win over Kennesaw State... McIntosh tied a career-high with 12 strikeouts in the game... She also fanned nine batters in a 2-1 win over Siena and eight in the victory over Binghamton... Senior Leanne Tillman (Pyuallup, Wash./Emerald Ridge) knocked a lead-off homer to start a seven-run fourth inning for the Great Danes against the Bearcats... Sophomore Michelle Connors (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) recorded a team-high .455 average to lead the Great Danes... She recorded five hits, including two doubles, and three RBI, while scoring two runs... She drew one walk, and did not strike out in 11 at bats... Connors recorded an RBI double in an 11-3 win over Binghamton and a hit in the win over Kennesaw State... Freshman infielder Andrianna Walraven (Thompson Ridge, N.Y./Pine Bush) also recorded a .455 average... Walraven, who started all five games for UAlbany at shortstop, recorded five hits, including her first career triple, scored two runs and drove in two more... Her triple came in the Great Danes’ 2-1 win over Siena on Thursday,,. She had a hit and scored a run in the victory over Binghamton on Sunday, and drove in the winning run in a 1-0 shutout victory at Kennesaw State on Tuesday... UAlbany will resume the suspended game with Binghamton on Monday starting at 12 p.m., and will complete the series immediately following... The Great Danes host non-conference opponent Marist on Tuesday and have a doubleheader versus Iona on Wednesday... UAlbany will continue America East play over the weekend, visiting UMBC on Saturday and Sunday.
Weather continues to take a toll on Binghamton's (3-16, 0-1 AE) season. The Bearcats' home opening doubleheader against Syracuse, scheduled for March 26, was cancelled due to impending conditions. Binghamton opened up its home schedule against Niagara on Thursday, but was only able to play one of its two scheduled games. As of Monday morning, Binghamton has also only been able to complete one of it three conference games against Albany.
The Boston University softball team (14-11, 3-0 AE) is currently riding a six-game win streak following a busy week, where the squad played six games in five days... Boston dropped a game to CCSU, but rebounded by rattling off six straight, including head coach Shawn Rychcik’s 100th career win... After a sweep of St. Peter’s, Boston opened its conference slate and got off on the right foot as it took three from Vermont, to keep the Terriers’ perfect home record in tact this season... Junior Melissa Dubay (Auburn, Wash./Auburn Riverside) led on the offense front, hitting at a .500 clip with three doubles, one triple, two home runs and eight RBI... Classmate Shayne Lotito (Acton, Calif./Vazquez) also hit .500 to go along with nine stolen bases... The pitching staff was on point, as sophomore Megan Currier (Torrance, Calif./Torrance) recorded a 0.37 ERA in five appearances to improve to 4-4, while classmate Cassidi Hardy (Jupiter, Fla./Jupiter) struck out 29 batters in four appearances... Boston will host Providence and Rhode Island on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, before traveling to Stony Brook for a weekend series.
Hartford (11-5, 0-3 AE) was swept by UMBC in the opening weekend of conference play, losing games by scores of 7-1, 1-0 and 8-0. The Retrievers got three strong outings in the circle and held the Hawks to only six hits and a .095 batting average. Hartford’s pitching gave up 16 runs on 23 hits, including seven for extra-bases... Junior outfielder Amanda Sais (Tustin, Calif./Tustin) fared best against UMBC, hitting safely in each game to finish with three hits on the weekend... Freshman Amanda Singer made her conference debut and was solid in a 1-0 defeat. She gave up one run on five hits over seven innings while striking out seven. Unfortunately for the Hawks, UMBC pitcher Stephanie Weigman tossed a one-hitter while striking out eight en route to the victory... Sophomore Rachel Clonick (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton) leads the team in batting on the season at .383 and has a team-high five doubles... Hartford will next play a doubleheader at Sacred Heart University on Wednesday, April 2 before heading to Vermont for a weekend series on April 5-6.
Maine (2-29, 2-1 AE) dropped a couple of close contests to Harvard before winning two out of three against Stony Brook...Whitney Spangler (Canton, Ohio/Central Catholic) has a six game hit streak...With three RBI against Stony Brook on Sunday, Spangler now has the team lead with 16 RBI...The Black Bears are batting a solid .277 as a team in the last five games...Freshman Kali Burnham (Courtice, Ontario/Trinity College) had her six-game hit streak snapped when she did not get a hit in the 8-6 win Sunday against Stony Brook...With two home runs against Stony Brook Sunday, freshman Terren Hall (Bucksport, Maine/ Bucksport) is now tied for the team lead with Ashley Waters (Amesbury, Mass./Amesbury) with five homeruns apiece...Hall also has a solid .354 on-base percentage and is also second on the team with 15 RBI...Maine’s record when hitting two or more homeruns improved to 2-3 with the two homeruns hit by Hall in the win against Stony Brook on Sunday...Pitcher Jenna Balent (Conifer, Colo./Conifer) has a team-leading 16 strikeouts looking for the Black Bears.
UMBC (13-16, 3-0 AE) went 4-3 on the week, dropping both games of a doubleheader to Towson, splitting a twin bill with Bucknell and sweeping America East rival Hartford in the conference-opening series... The Retrievers open the America East season 3-0 for the first time... Sophomore Amanda Fefel (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) hit .500 (11-for-22) and slugged .773 with three doubles and a home run on the week... Senior Ashley Gray (Pasadena, Md./Northeast/Delaware State) hit .455 (5-for-11) with a team-best nine RBI and four walks... She slugged 1.000 on the week, as two of her five hits were homers, and she reached base at a .562 clip... Freshman Lauren Brummell (Hanover, Va./Hanover) hit her first career home run against Bucknell and batted .346 with two doubles and five RBI on the week... The Retrievers outscored the Hawks, 16-1, and out-hit them, 23-6, in the three-game series, holding Hartford to a .095 average while pitching to a 0.37 ERA... Senior second baseman Dana Shepherd (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills) had a monster weekend, batting .556 (5-for-9) with six runs scored and six RBI... She slugged 1.556 with four extra-base hits, including a grand slam... Freshman Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) pitched her first career shutout, a one-hitter, in the series finale... Weigman struck out 17 batters in 17.1 innings on the week, while Fefel struck out 23 in 18 frames, including a career-best 11 Hawks in the series opener... The Retrievers host Georgetown in a doubleheader on Tuesday before welcoming America East rival Albany for a three-game weekend series.
Stony Brook (12-11-1, 1-2 AE) swept a doubleheader against Rhode Island... The Seawolves Went 1-2 over the weekend against Maine... The Seawolves were led offensively by junior Marissa Fleury, who hit .381 during the week... Fleury had two home runs and nine RBI... Stony Brook won their second game over Rhode Island in dramatic fashion, with a walk-off home run by Kelly Oberto in the eighth inning... Sophomore Casey Jacobs posted a 1.24 ERA in four appearances for the Seawolves.
Vermont (5-15, 0-3 AE) opened America East play over the weekend at Boston University, as the Terriers swept a three-game series ... Boston U. won the opener 7-1, as freshman Caroline Goddard (Oakland, Calif./Piedmont) scored Vermont’s only run in the sixth on an error ... The Cats got a good outing from junior Alison Daggett (Fort Collins, Colo./Fort Collins) in game two as she gave up only three hits, but two of them were solo home runs as Vermont fell 2-0 ... Daggett, who made her first start for Vermont since March 10 at Mercer, went the distance striking out four and walking four ... The game marked only the second time this season that UVM has went scoreless in a contest ... In the final game on Sunday Vermont jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as with one out senior Kate Haber (Riverwoods, Ill./Deerfield) hit her first home run of the season and third of her career ... Haber also scored Vermont’s only other run on a BU error in the third, but BU won 7-2 ... Vermont returns to action on Tuesday when the Cats travel to face Siena in doubleheader action starting at 3:00pm ... The Cats will then play their home opener on Saturday with a doubleheader vs. Hartford (12 p.m.) and then a single game on Sunday (12 p.m.).