Boston College Athletics
Boston College
Villanova (BIG EAST Tournament)
Second-Seeded Softball Eliminated From BIG EAST Tournament
May 09, 2003 | Softball
May 9, 2003
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
Salem, Va. - The second-seeded Boston College softball team won its first game of the elimination round before falling in the nightcap and being eliminated from the 2003 BIG EAST Softball Championship, held at James I. Moyer Softball Complex in Salem, Virginia. The Eagles topped Seton Hall, 4-3 in come-from-behind fashion, before being knocked out by Villanova, 3-0. With the split, BC stands at 33-20 on the season and will await the NCAA pairings show for a possible at-large bid.
In the first game, the Eagles trailed through the first five and a half innings before taking the lead in the top of the sixth and holding on for the win. Seton Hall got on the board first with two runs on two BC errors in the third inning. The Eagles reclaimed one of those runs when Elyse Meredith (Basking Ridge, N.J.) grounded out but pushed across pinch-runner Sara Kellner (Sarasota, Fla.) in the process.
The Pirates added a run on one hit and one BC error in the fourth inning, taking a 3-1 lead before BC made its move. In the fifth inning, freshman Elena Ferrero (Van Nuys, Calif.) belted a solo homerun to cut the lead to 3-2. An inning later, Lisa Field (Encinitas, Calif.) singled and, with two outs, Ferrero belted a two-run shot for the 4-3 go-ahead.
Ferrero was a perfect 3-for-3 with two home runs and a double, knocking in three runs. Erin Mackey (River Forest, Ill.) was 3-for-4 on the afternoon. Tekae Malandris (Chula Vista, Calif.) picked up the win, pitching 4.2 innings of relief and collecting 10 strikeouts.
In game two, Villanova touched up the BC pitching staff for two runs on three hits in the second inning. In the fourth, the Wildcats added another run on one hit and two costly Eagle fielding errors. The 3-0 deficit was too much for the Eagles to overcome and would stand as the final score.
Jacqui Goodchild (West Hills, Calif.) touched up Villanova's Theresa Hornick for BC's lone hit of the afternoon. Hornick held the Eagles to one hit while striking out three and walking two.
Boston College hopes to receive an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The field of 64 will be chosen Sunday night at 10 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN News.
