The senior duo of Jessica Dreswick and Chloe Sharabba weren’t about to let Boston College women’s softball leave its season-opening Texas trip without a single win.
Dreswick struck out a career-high 11, Sharabba hit a two-run home run and scored the game-winning run, and the Eagles held on to beat Texas State, 4-3, on Monday afternoon.
With the score tied 3-3 in the top of the seventh, Sharabba drew a leadoff walk. She moved to third on a throwing error, then scored off a well-executed sacrifice bunt from fellow senior Jordan Chimento.
Dreswick closed it out in the bottom half of the inning to pick up the Eagles’ first win of the season.
Two days after frigid weather forced the cancellation of the final day of the Aggie Classic, in which BC (1-4) lost four straight games, the Eagles knocked off a Bobcats (2-3) team that received votes in national preseason polls.
Dreswick went all seven innings, walking just three and limiting Texas State to three runs on six hits. The right-hander held the Bobcats scoreless until the fourth inning, enough time for her offense to build a three-run lead.
Leadoff hitter Annie Murphy opened the third inning with a double, then Sharabba homered down the left field line. The next inning, Emme Martinez went deep to the same location, creating a cushion for Dreswick.
Texas State rallied, though. In the bottom of the same frame, Ariel Ortiz drove in a run with a single. Two innings later, Hailey Mackay singled in a run after a 10-pitch at bat—then Ortiz followed with a game-tying sacrifice fly a few batters later.
The Eagles responded to the blown lead, making up for Dreswick’s blunders, effectively reclaiming their spot in the driver’s seat. The senior wouldn’t blow it twice, holding the Bobcats scoreless in the bottom of the seventh to escape with the narrow win, Dreswick’s first of the year.
Murphy impressed for BC, going 3-for-4 atop the lineup. The left fielder added a double as she continued to climb in the program’s all-time record books.
Bobcats starter Randi Rupp had the Eagles guessing throughout, striking out 12 and walking just two, but the two home runs and eventual sacrifice bunt made her the tough luck loser.
The win was crucial for BC, as it now enters the ACC/Big Ten Challenge this weekend with at least one win under its belt. The Bobcats have gotten off to a slow start, but still warranted national attention at the start of the season and are no slouch. Dreswick looked the part of a staff ace, a good sign moving forward.
Featured Image by Celine Lim / Heights Staff
