UC San Diego softball (7–10, 0–0 Big West) hosted Boston College (9–7, 0–0 Atlantic Coast) on Friday for the series-opening match between these two teams. The Tritons entered the contest having lost their previous four games and were looking to snap their losing streak with a victory in front of their fans. The Boston College Eagles have gotten off to a respectable start to their season as they entered the contest a game above .500 and were looking to improve their winning record.
The story of the first two innings was pitching, as neither side’s first six batters were able to get on base. Initially, the game was looking like it was going to be a duel between two sophomore right-handers, with UCSD’s pitcher Jada Cecil and BC’s pitcher Abby Dunning both tallying 3 strikeouts each. However, at the top of the third inning, Cecil and the Tritons encountered some trouble as the Eagles began the inning with a walk and put some additional pressure on the Tritons’ defense by stealing second base. The Eagles put more pressure on the Tritons as they were able to reach first on an error from third base, and the following at-bat, Cecil threw a wild pitch that put both base runners in scoring position with just one out.
The bases were loaded as Cecil threw a full-count walk, and the Eagles were able to score on a four-pitch walk, putting the score at 1–0 Eagles. Despite having several runners on base, Cecil was able to limit the damage and keep BC’s lead at 1 after her first three innings pitching. UCSD was able to get two runners on base in the bottom of the third but ultimately came away from the inning scoreless.
In the following inning, the Eagles tallied an additional 2 runs, extending their lead to 3. After 3 ⅔ innings pitched, Cecil’s night was over, finishing with a stat line of 3 hits, 3 runs, 4 walks, and 5 strikeouts. UCSD’s junior southpaw Gabby Williams came in at the top of the fourth as a relief pitcher. At the bottom of the fourth inning, the Tritons were able to get two more runners on base with senior outfielder Keila Bosinger hitting a single and junior designated hitter Teagan Dobson walking.
With no outs and two runners on, the Tritons had a chance to chip away at BC’s lead, but, once again, they were unable to produce any runs. In the top of the fifth, the Eagles put the final nail in the coffin for the Tritons as junior Maddy Carpe hit a 3-run blast that put them up by 6. In the final two innings, the Tritons were able to put three more runners on base but were unable to score, and they lost the game 6–0. Dunning notched her sixth win of the season as she went the distance and pitched a shutout, racking up 8 K’s and only giving up 5 hits.
The story of the game for UCSD was their inability to capitalize on offense by stranding nine runners on base. After the game, Tritons head coach Patti Gerckens spoke to The UCSD Guardian on the team’s offensive woes and what the team’s approach should be moving forward.
“We have to make adjustments; we have to challenge their defense,” said Gerckens. “We can’t just pop-up with runners in scoring position, and that’s really been our challenge so far all year. Clutch hits are great, but really we just want to pass the bat and make the inning go longer.”
After their series against Boston College, the Tritons will host Western Carolina University on Tuesday, March 7, at 1:00 p.m., before they hit the road for a four-game stretch.
Image Courtesy of Amanda Parmele for The UCSD Guardian
