University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Softball To Face Boston University on Thursday
April 16, 2008 | Softball
April 16, 2008
AMHERST, Mass. - The Massachusetts softball team (27-11, 14-0 A-10) will hit the road for a mid-week game against Boston University (23-13, 9-2 America East) Thursday at Boston University. First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m. EST. The Minutewomen are currently on a 17-game win streak and a 30-game A-10 Conference win streak.
BROADCAST INFO
The game against Boston University will be broadcast on live audio streaming through Sports Juice at UMassathletics.com with Mike Huff and Matt Goldstein covering the play-by-play.
LIVE STATS
Live stats are available for all game's this season through GameTracker at www.UMassathletics.com
SCOUTING BOSTON UNIVERSITY
• Boston University holds an overall record of 23-13 and is 9-2 in the America East Conference. BU is coming off of a three game series against Hartford, where the Terriers took two out of three games.
• Boston University was picked as the preseason favorite to win the 2008 America East Softball Championship. Last season, the Terriers finished 2007 with a 34-14 overall record and 17-3 in conference play.
• BU has won 15 of its last 17 games and is currently sitting in second place in conference standings.
• The pitching staff is led by Cassidi Hardy who has a 10-4 record with a 1.99 ERA. Hardy has made 18 starts for the Terries and has pitched 11 complete games. She has struck out 94 batters and earned six shutouts. Hardy was named the America East Pitcher of the Week as announced by the league office this past Monday.
• The Terriers are hitting .261 as a team, led by junior Melissa Dubay (.387 average, 5 home runs, 25 RBI)
MOLLICA AND BALSCHMITER GARNER A-10 WEEKLY AWARDS
The Atlantic 10 Conference announced Monday that junior infielder Whitney Mollica has been named the Atlantic 10 Softball Player of the Week. The A-10 also announced that junior pitcher Brandice Balschmiter has been named the Atlantic 10 Softball Co-Pitcher of the Week along with St. Bonaventure pitcher Sherri Thompson. For Balschmiter, the honor was her sixth of the season, fifth consecutive weekly award, and 19th career Pitcher of the Week honoree. In five games played last week, the Minutewomen went 5-0, outscoring their opponents 32-1. Mollica finished the week going 6-for-13 with one home run and nine RBIs, including a 2-for-3 performance with four RBIs against Temple in game one of a double header against the Owls. Mollica is now batting .314 with three home runs and 20 RBIs. Balschmiter finished the week with a 4-0 record in three starts and one relief appearance. She gave up only five hits, allowed no runs and struck out 33 batters. Balschmiter is now 17-6 on the season with a 0.67 ERA and 194 total strikeouts.
SOFTBALL TO HOLD 2008 FANFEST AND SENIOR DAY ON APRIL 20
The University of Massachusetts softball team will conduct its first-ever Fanfest in conjunction with Senior Day on Sunday, April 20, when the Minutewomen host Dayton in their final weekend home game at UMass Softball Complex. The doubleheader begins at 12 noon at the UMass Softball Complex. The Senior Day barbeque will take place following the second game of the double-header. Those wanting to partake in the BBQ are to R.S.V.P by 12 p.m. on Friday, April 18 at 413-545-9588.
MINUTEWOMEN RECEIVING VOTES
The Minutewomen are receiving votes in both major collegiate softball national polls. UMass is receiving 29 votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top-25 poll (Most in the column) and 11 in the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 poll.
SERIES STUFF
UMass owns a 6-2 lead in the all-time series over Boston University. The last time UMass faced BU was last year when the Minutewomen defeated the Terriers 10-4 at home.
WIN STREAKS
UMass' current 17-game win streak ranks third among NCAA Div. 1 schools. The Minutewomen are also currently holding 30-game A-10 Conference win streak. The last conference loss for UMass was against St. Bonaventure on May 5, 2006. The Minutewomen also currently hold a 40-game regular season home win streak. The last regular season home loss was April 9, 2006 to Charlotte.
SOFTBALL USES STRONG OFFENSE IN DOUBLE-HEADER SWEEP OF RHODE ISLAND
The Massachusetts softball team scored 16 runs on 20 hits including seven doubles and two home runs to surge to a 4-0 and 12-3 (5) win over Rhode Island (13-25, 3-10 A-10) on Tuesday. Junior pitcher Brandice Balschmiter (18-6) and sophomore hurler Bailey Sanders (9-5) each grabbed a win as the Minutewomen extend their win streak to 17 games overall and 32 in Atlantic 10 Conference play.
In game one, the Minutewomen scored four runs on just five hits, including three runs in the fourth, but capitalized on a strong performance in the circle by Balschmiter who tossed a one-hitter while striking out nine batters in the complete game.
Sophomore Sarah Reeves led off the scoring in the bottom of the fourth with a grounder to short stop that turned into an error bringing home classmate Jill Andrews from this base. Sophomore catcher Jessica Serio double to center on the next at-bat scoring Reeves to make it a 2-0 lead. Freshman Lindsay Maroney made it three soon after with a single up the middle. Junior Samantha Salato added an insurance run an inning later with a single to left field before Balschmiter closed out the game striking out four of the last six batters faced.
In game two, sophomore Whitney Williams and junior Carly Morin each went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI to lead the Minutewomen in an offensive juggernaut.
After falling behind 2-0 in the top of the first, UMass came out swinging strong with five runs on six hits in the bottom of the second. UMass capitalized on doubles by Morin, Maroney, and senior Lauren Proctor followed by a triple by sophomore Carly Normandin to go on top 5-2.
After adding another run in the third on a single by Normandin, the Minutewomen scored six more in the fourth highlighted by back-to-back home runs by Williams and Morin to propel to a 12-3 lead. Morin's home run was the first of her career and a perfect end to her career day. The three hits in the game were one more than she had total in her three years at UMass.
SORTINO REACHES 1,000 WIN PLATEUA
UMass Head Coach Elaine Sortino became the 11th coach in NCAA Softball History and eighth in Division 1 to record 1,000 career wins on Sunday April 13, 2008 as the Minutewomen mercy-ruled Temple 10-0 in five-innings. Entering the 2008 season, Sortino compiled a 975-419-5 (.699) record through 28 years at UMass. She currently ranks among the top 10 in both wins and winning percentage and is a 2004 National Fast pitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee. While at Massachusetts, Sortino has never had a losing season and enjoyed 20, 30-win seasons, six, 40-win seasons and one 50-win season. Sortino has produced 19 All-Americans, 10 A-10 Players of the Year, 13 A-10 Pitchers of the Year, Seven A-10 Rookies of the Year and 91 All-Conference picks.
BALSCHMITER ON POINT
The right-handed pitcher is on pace for her best season ever. With a 18-6 record, the junior ace holds a .64 ERA with 203 strikeouts and two saves on the year. Balschmiter has the conference record for Pitcher of the Week Awards (19) and consecutive A-10 Pitcher of the Week Awards (6), passing former UMass and Olympic team pitcher Danielle Henderson's 17 total and five consecutive weekly awards.
Balschmiter earned her sixth 2008 A-10 Pitcher of the Week honor Monday, April 14th and set the new UMass record for strikeouts in a five-inning game with 14 against Temple on Sunday, April 14.
Five of her six losses were to nationally ranked opponents (No. 12 Michigan, No. 5 UCLA, No. 9 Arizona, No. 18 DePaul, No. 19 Miss. State), however Balschmiter has 41 strikeouts in those games and hasn't given up more than three earned runs to any opponent this year.
She was dynamite in a 13-inning 4-2 loss to No. 9 Arizona (2/23) as she struckout 10, while giving up just two earned runs to the back-to-back ncaa champions. The 13-innings pitched were a career high for Balschmiter. On April 4th Balschmiter pitched a perfect game against George Washington where she recorded 13 strikeouts. This was her first career collegiate perfect game and the eight in UMass history.
With three strikeouts in a relief appearance against No. 10 Baylor, Balschmiter moved into second place on the UMass all-time strikeout list with 597. The win against Temple gave Balschmiter the 78th win of her career, moving her into second place on the UMass all-time wins list. (Danielle Henderson, 108)
UMASS CIRCLE RANKS AMONG NATION'S BEST
The Minutewomen circle composed of Balschmiter and Sanders is among the best in the country in ERA. The duo owns a low 1.08 ERA, which is the fourth best in the NCAA. In UMass' current 17 game win streak the gang has a .83 ERA only allowing 11 ER in 109 innings pitched with 131 strike outs.
Balschmiter has recorded 11 wins in the current win streak while Sanders has captured six. Balschmiter's overall ERA of .64 is the 7th best in the country while sanders' ERA stands at 1.96.
Balschmiter has thrown 11 shutouts including a perfect game against George Washington on April 4. Sanders has thrown three shutouts and no-hitter against Rutgers on March 16.
UP NEXT - DAYTON UNIVERSITY
UMass will return home to host Dayton in an Atlantic 10 doubleheader on Senior Day on Sunday, April 20.
