Boston College
Providence
Eagles Softball Win Again In Dramatic Fashion 4-3
May 03, 2007 | Softball
May 3, 2007
Chestnut Hill, Mass. - For the second time in two days, the Boston College softball team won in their last at-bat against a local rival. Yesterday, BU was victimized by senior Ashley Obrest's sixth-inning tie-breaking homer. Today, it was the Providence Friars who fell prey to the Eagles heroics, which came in the form of Amanda Booth's game-winning score from first with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Eagles started senior Britney Thompson in the circle against the Friars. Thompson, coming off a complete game victory over BU yesterday, got into trouble right off the bat. Thompson allowed a leadoff double to Jenna Garcia, who came around to score three batters later, when Rachel Bartholomew doubled down the left field line to put the Friars in front 1-0.
The Eagles' first chance came in the bottom of the second when Thompson, also the team's clean-up slugger, led off with a double to left. Sophomore Renee Ramos followed with a single through the right side. Ramos then stole second to give the Eagles two runners in scoring position with nobody out. After senior Ashley Obrest had struck out, and with freshman Dani Weir at the plate, Thompson was caught too far off third and was punched out in the ensuing rundown. Weir then struck out and the Eagles rally was killed.
The Friars did not get to Thompson again until the fourth, but they got to her in a major way with back-to-back longballs from Bartholomew and Christy Becker to give the Friars a 3-0 lead.
The Eagles got one back in the bottom of the fourth, when freshman Taylor Peyton came home on a one-out error by the Providence shortstop, Garcia.
In the top of the fifth, Eagles coach Jen Finley went to her bullpen. Finley brought in sophomore Savana Lloyd, who pitched a perfect fifth.
In the bottom of the inning, the Eagles bats woke up. Freshman Blair Destito led off with a single up the middle. Sophomore Danielle Pandolfo moved Destito up to second with a perfect sacrifice bunt. Junior Amanda Booth drew a walk, and then she and Destito were both moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Peyton. The strategy worked perfectly, as slugging senior Jenna Macchi strode to the plate with two down. Macchi crushed a liner to the center field wall to bring home both runners and tie the game. The ball was hit so hard that the speedy Macchi was held to a single. But the damage was done, and the game moved into the sixth knotted at three.
In the sixth, Finley replaced Lloyd with sophomore Amanda Klimczak, who breezed through a perfect sixth.
After the Eagles went in order in the bottom of the sixth, Klimczak returned for the top of the seventh. With one out, Providence's Katie Ross singled to left, and moved up to second on a fielding error. The next batter, Gina Rossi sacrificed Ross to third, as the Friars looked to pull ahead in the final inning. Providence sent powerful Danielle Bertolette to the plate as a pinch-hitter. Klimczak reached back for something special and blew Bertolette away, getting the fearsome Friar to chase the high heat.
Thanks to Klimczak, the Eagles went into the bottom of the seventh tied, instead of trailing. Destitio led off with a foul pop-up on which Garcia made a spectacular diving catch. Klimczak then struck out, and it looked like the game was headed for extra frames. Booth dropped a perfect bunt and reached first with two down. The next batter was Peyton, who ripped a single through the left side. The Friars left fielder, Rossi, charged too hard and the ball went under her glove and rolled to the wall. Booth came all the way around from first, and the Eagles were 4-3 walk-off winners.
The bullpen was huge in relief of Thompson, as Lloyd and Klimczak combined for three scoreless innings. Klimczak earned the win, improving to 3-1.
For the Eagles, it was a great way to wrap up the home schedule. The Eagles travel to Maryland for a three-game set this weekend, and begin play in the ACC tournament next Thursday, May 10th.
