Having played five games in the past week, Boston College softball was kept busy with the FAU Tournament before it opens up ACC play next week. BC went 3–2 over the course of three days and advanced to 9–5 on the season with its performance in Boca Raton, Fla.
The Eagles (9–5) most recently faced off against Florida Gulf Coast (9–7) on Saturday afternoon, a rematch of their first game of the tournament which BC lost 1–0. Just like the previous matchup, this tilt was a close match, ultimately going to extra innings after the initial seven failed to determine a winner.
Abby Dunning shut down FGCU’s offense to start the game and retired the first six batters in order through the first two innings.
The Eagles did not fare much better in the bottom half of the first inning, though. Darien McDonough was first up to bat and struck out looking. Then, Jules Shields managed a single to build some momentum, but it was short lived as FGCU recorded two more outs before Shields could advance.
The second, third, and fourth innings played out somewhat similarly, and neither team managed to score until the fifth inning.
In the top of the fifth inning, FGCU’s Neely Peterson hit a single, and advanced to second base due to an error. Olivia Black replaced her at second base and pinch-ran for Peterson.
Emily Chiarella then walked to first and Nikki Gibson singled, allowing Chiarella to advance to second while Black moved to third.
A sacrifice fly by freshman Annalyn Duncan allowed Black to light up the scoreboard before BC could escape the inning.
BC responded in the bottom of the sixth inning with a run of its own, but it was the only one the Eagles would tally in the affair.
The seventh inning passed with neither FGCU nor BC scoring, and the game went into extra innings, with FGCU coming out on top. In the top of the eighth inning, Meagan Ricks doubled to right-center, which allowed junior Avery Viancos, who had been placed at second, to score.
FGCU was not yet done, though, and scored again when Peterson doubled to left center, scoring McKenzie Wittenberg to make it 3–1. BC couldn’t complete the comeback, and FGCU escaped with the win.
Earlier in the day, BC faced off against Rhode Island and earned a 3–1 win. Pitcher Halie Pappion pitched six innings, managing seven strikeouts on 100 pitches. Pappion let up just two hits and one run to keep the Rams’ offense at bay. Hannah Slike led the Eagles’ offense in the affair, tallying two RBIs, two runs, and two hits, including a home run.
In their first-ever game against Columbia (0–1) on Friday, the Eagles won with a score of 2–0. Both runs were scored in the third inning when McDonough hit a solo homer straight to center field and Stephens reached first on an error, bringing Slike home.
On Thursday, BC defeated Florida Atlantic. Addison Jackson and Pappion combined for the shutout, allowing just two hits on a combined 82 pitches. McDonough and Slike scored for the Eagles to give them both runs.
BC kicked off the FAU tournament with a loss to FGCU, who beat the Eagles with a score of 1–0. The game’s only run scored in the bottom of the fourth inning when the bases were loaded, and Neely Peterson hit a ground ball that brought Nikki Gibson from third to home for FGCU.
