BOSTON -- For the third time in four years, Boston University is the America East softball champion will head to the NCAA Tournament after the Terriers defeated Albany, 5-0, in the conference title game Sunday morning at BU softball Field.
Holly Floetker fired a complete game, three-hit shutout on her way to winning the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award. She allowed just two earned runs on nine hits with 10 strikeouts in picking up a pair of wins for the Terriers, who became just the second team in program history to eclipse the 40-win plateau.
Boston U. (40-14) got rolling offensively in the top of the second when Amy Ekart, a member of the all-championship team, roped a two-out, two-run double down the right field line off Albany starter Brittany Schwieger, plating Chelsea O’Connor and Mandy Fernandez.
Albany (36-14) threatened in the third as Diane MacDowell singled through the left side with two outs. Taylor Franich followed with a two-out base hit of her own to put runners on first and second for Player of the Year Charlise Castro, but Floetker got Castro to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the scoring chance.
The Terriers, who were held scoreless in the third and fourth innings, got to Schwieger in the fifth. Erica Casacci led off the inning with a single up the middle and Megan Volpano followed with base hit to left to give Boston U. runners at the corners with no one out. Brittany Clendenny delivered an RBI single scoring Casacci to make it 3-0.
Albany made the call to the bullpen and brought on Brittany MacFawn, who picked up a win and a save in two Great Dane wins yesterday. Emily Roesch provided a rude welcome for MacFawn smacking an RBI single to center. And two batters later, pinch runner Emily Felbaum scored on a passed ball and gave the Terriers a 5-0 lead they would not relinquish.
Floetker retired the final 10 batters she faced including 1-2-3 innings in the fifth, sixth and seventh to seal the crown for Boston U., its 13th in school history.
Clendenny finished the day 2-for-3 with an RBI for Boston U while MacDowell had another strong day for Albany going 1-for-2 with a stolen base and a walk.
Joining Floetker and Ekart on the all-championship team were fellow Terriers Jayme Mask and Brittany Clendenny, Albany's Schwieger, MacFawn and Kylie Apostolina, Stony Brook's Bernadette Tenuto and Lauren Maloney and Maine's EmJ Fogel and Ashley Kelley.
Boston University, which has won six straight and 16 of its last 17, will learn its NCAA Regional opponent tonight at 10 p.m. during the NCAA Division I Softball Selection Show on ESPNU.
2012 America East Softball Championship
At Boston University Softball Field
Friday, May 11
Game 1: No. 1 Boston U. 3,vs. No. 4 Maine 2
Game 2: No. 2 Stony Brook 6, No. 3 Albany 4
Saturday, May 12
Game 3: Boston U. 7, Stony Brook 3
Game 4: Albany 2, Maine 0 (elimination game)
Game 5: Albany 6, stony Brook 5, 4 p.m. (elimination game)
Sunday, May 13
Game 6: Boston U. 5, Albany 0 (championship game)