Boston College Athletics
Boston College
Holy Cross
Meredith Powers Softball By Holy Cross Twice
April 24, 2002 | Softball
April 24, 2002
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Boston College earned a two-game sweep of Holy Cross on Wednesday, winning 8-0 (6 inn.) and 7-3 at Shea Field. Sophomore first baseman Elyse Meredith led the way for the Eagles going 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI in the two games.
In the first game, the Eagles posted one run in each of the first two innings. Cara Blumfield's two-out single up the middle plated Erin Mackey in the first frame and Jenny Calabrese's first-career hit - a single down the right field line - drove in Lisa Field in the second inning.
BC added one more run in the fourth inning before exploding for five runs with no outs in the sixth to earn the 8-0 victory with the run rule. In the fourth, Michelle Daly opened the inning with a double to right center, then advanced to third on a Field sacrifice. Meredith brought her in with a single through the right side.
In the next inning, BC sent sixth batters up without an out and scored five runs on six straight hits. Daly led off with a hard single to left field and was followed by Field who hit a home run to left center. The round-tripper was the second in her career. Meredith followed with a single to center field, then advanced on Calabrese's infield single. Mackey brought both home with a double down the right field line, before Jen Asbury ended the game with a double to right center that scored Mackey.
Daly pitched the first complete-game shutout of her career, going 6.0 innings allowing two hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Holy Cross's Christine Palmeri also pitched a complete game, surrendering eight runs on 16 hits and striking out three.
In the nightcap, BC took a 1-0 lead after one inning only to see Holy Cross respond with a two-run second to take the lead.
Jacqui Goodchild single through the left side with two outs, then stole second before Blumfield singled up the middle to score her and give the team a 1-0 advantage. In the second inning, pitcher Michelle Green smacked a two-run home run over the center field fence to stake the Crusaders to a short-lived 2-1 lead as the Eagles would regain control in the bottom of the frame.
BC loaded the bases with one out when Asbury doubled to left field. She drove in Meredith and Calabrese and put the Eagles ahead, 3-2.
Meredith tacked on another run for the Eagles in the third when she doubled down the left field line to bring in Daly from third.
After Goodchild recorded a two-out infield hit and advanced to second on a wild pitch in the fourth, she and Blumfield used a hit and run to plate another run. Blumfield beat out and infield hit to the shortstop and Goodchild beat the attempt at the plate to increase the lead to 5-2.
Holy Cross chipped away to bring the game to 5-3 in the top of the fifth when Mary Beth Ryan - who went 3-for-6 on the day and collected the Crusaders' only two hits in the first game - singled in Greene from third.
Boston College posted two more runs when Amy Swiderski and Asbury rounded the bags in the sixth.
Brooke Shull pitched 5.0 innings and allowed three runs on five hits. She struck out three and walked one in her first win of the season. Kim Ryan entered in the sixth to finish the game and earn the save. She allowed one hit and struck out three. Greene went 6.0 innings for Holy Cross and allowed seven runs - six earned - on 12 hits. She struck out one and walked three.
With the sweep, Boston College evened its record at 22-22 overall, while Holy Cross moved to 9-31 on the season. The Eagles will next face Harvard in a single game on Thursday, April 25 at 3 p.m. on Shea Field.
