The Orange and Blue softball team was on the road against Boston University in a three-series matchup that resulted in three losses for the Bison. The Terriers, who are currently No. 1 in the Patriot League, consistently outmatched the Bison with scores of 7-1, 7-0 and 7-0 over the course of the weekend. On Tuesday, the Bison came back and bested Saint Peter’s at home with a resounding 13-0 victory. 

The series opened up in Boston at noon on Saturday and the Bison started off strong, keeping the game scoreless for the first three innings. However, Boston got on the board in the fourth inning with an impressive five runs. The inning started with a no-out double for the Terriers and then a run scored as a result of a sacrifice bunt and a Bison error. A Terrier triple brought two more runs home, the first of four triples for Boston this Saturday, and another triple and a single in the fifth inning brought the score to 5-0 in favor of Boston.  

Zoie Smith ’24 hit a fantastic home run in the top of the sixth inning. This was her first of the 2022 season and the sixth home run of her collegiate career. Smith put her team on the board, but the Bison’s efforts proved to be no match for the Terriers and the game ended 7-1.

At 2 p.m. on Saturday, the Bison again lost to the Terriers in the second game of the day; this time losing by a greater margin of 7-0 as a result of their inability to get on the scoreboard. Boston excelled in the circle, not permitting the Bison women to get a single hit in any of the first five innings. The Terriers outhit the Bison considerably (11-2) and capitalized primarily in the third inning. BU scored four runs in that inning alone via six hits. Neither team managed to get on the scoreboard in the fourth and fifth innings. However, the Terriers came back in the bottom of the sixth and scored a two-run home run to bring the final score to 7-0. The Bison’s Nicole Rivait ’22 stood out as the lone Bison hitter on the day, going 2-for-3 in this second game of the series.  

On Sunday, the women faced off against BU again, again falling 7-0 to the Terriers. The Terriers outnumbered the Bison in hits, 7-2, and put up six runs in the first two innings alone. Again, Boston’s pitcher threw an excellent game, holding the Bison offense to a shutout. 

The Bison had a solid chance in the fourth inning with two runners in scoring position, but they were shut down by Boston once again. Kaiya Burton ’23 received the loss on the day after pitching for 1.2 innings and permitting the Terriers to get three hits. The Terriers actually made it on the board before getting a hit: the first batter got hit with a pitch, the second walked and the third reached on an error and the leadoff batter scored with a passed ball. Burton was replaced by Olivia Marinelli ’23 during the second inning, who allowed one run and four hits in her 1.1 innings in the circle.  

From an offensive standpoint, the Bison batters struggled and were retired in all of the first three innings. The first hit came as a result of MaKenzie Hilling ’25, who hit a one-out infield single. Rivait followed Hilling immediately after with another single.  

Most recently, the women faced off against the Saint Peter’s Peacocks Tuesday afternoon. The Bison were victorious by a considerable margin, defeating the Peacocks handily with a final score of 13-0 after five innings. This is the highest-scoring game of the season so far for the Bison, and the third shutout recorded this spring.  

The Bison women scored an impressive eight runs in the first inning, then five more in the third and fourth innings. Pitcher Kelley Toomey ’22 played the entirety of the game on the mound (her fifth complete game this spring). Toomey threw five strikeouts and held the Peacocks to just two hits the entire afternoon. One of her strikeouts came at a convenient time in the top of the first inning, when the Peacocks had a good chance with runners on both second and third with only one out. However, Toomey came through and kept the Peacocks off the scoreboard. She struck out three of the last six Saint Peter’s batters. 

Chase Knapp ’23, Juliette Basso ’25 and Annabella Hawkins ’24 each scored singles for the Bison in the first inning. A double by Hilling brought two more runners home. The second inning remained scoreless, but the Bison picked it up in the third inning with another five runs. Rivait hit an impressive home run – her second of the season, and 12th of her career – with two runners on base to bring the score to 11-0.  

Knapp scored again for the Bison in the fourth inning, hitting a triple. Ava Aguilar ’25 had a triple as well. Jessie Kincer ’25 hit an RBI single to left field, the first of her career, and Hunter Vestal ’24 contributed with a sacrifice fly. 

The Bison women look ahead to their next matchup against Army in a three-game series this coming weekend. The team will be facing off at home on Saturday, April 9 at noon.