Boston College
South Carolina (NCAA Regional)
Softball Has Season End With Loss To South Carolina
May 17, 2003 | Softball
May 17, 2003
Tucson, Ariz. - The sixth-seeded Boston College softball team's season came to an end at the hands of second-seeded and 19th-ranked South Carolina Saturday afternoon in the NCAA regional loser's bracket at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium on the campus of University of Arizona. With the 5-2 loss, the Eagles finished 2-2 in regional play and finished the season with a 35-22 mark.
BC controlled the tempo from the beginning and enjoyed a lead through most of the seven innings. The Eagles struck first, putting a single run on the board in the bottom of the first inning after sitting down South Carolina 1-2-3 to open play. Jacqui Goodchild (West Hills, Calif.) opened the game with a bunt single and advanced to second when Jen Asbury (Livermore, Calif.) followed with a single up the middle. Goodchild scored when Cara Blumfield (West Hills, Calif.) delivered BC's third consecutive single. South Carolina attempted to throw out Goodchild at the plate, allowing Asbury and Blumfield to advance a base. advanced to third on the attempt at the plate. With runners on second and third with nobody out, the Eagles squandered an opportunity to put more runs on the board.
South Carolina would come back to tie the game at one in the third inning on four singles. The Gamecocks couldn't do more damage, as BC cut down two key runners with super defensive efforts. Riding momentum into the fifth inning, BC rallied with two outs as Lisa Fischer (Coopersburg, Pa.) doubled and advanced to third on the throw. Erin Mackey (River Forest, Ill.) followed with an RBI single to give BC a slim 2-1 lead.
The game would remain 2-1 in favor of BC until the top of the seventh. One strike away from ending the game, South Carolina knocked a single up the middle that opened the flood gates. Three singles sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt and a walk loaded the bases for South Carolina. A single up the middle scored a run to tie the game at two. Two consecutive throwing errors from BC allowed all three other baserunners, including the batter, to score. South Carolina would hang on for the rest of the inning to take the 5-2 win.
Tekae Malandris (Chula Vista, Calif.) was the hardluck loser, pitching 6.1 innings and giving up nine hits and three walks. She struck out six. Blumfield was 1-for-4 with an RBI while Mackey was 1-for-3 with an EBI as BC punched out 10 hits.
Freshman designated player Elena Ferrero (Van Nuys, Calif.) earned a spot on the NCAA Region 1 All-Tournament team. Over the course of four games, Ferrero hit an unbelievable .700 with seven hits and four RBI.
The All-Tournament team was comprised of Ferrero, Kristin Lueke (U-Princeton), Jan Moshier (C-Cal State Northridge), Anne Thul (C-Minnesota), Kristin Hall (U-South Carolina), Crystal Martin (SS-Texas A&M), Lindsay Wilhelmson (P-Texas A&M), Jana James (OF-Texas A&M), Alicia Hollowell (P-Arizona), Autumn Champion (OF-Arizona), Mackenzie Vandergeest (C-Arizona), and the Most Outstanding Player Lovieanne Jung (SS-Arizona).
The Eagles finished one of their most successful seasons in recent history at 35-22 overall and 14-5 in the BIG EAST. They took a share of the regular season conference title and earned the program's first at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
