Fort Myers, FL – The Sycamores battled hard but fell short in both games on Day 2 of the Kickoff Classic, with Boston College claiming an 8-2 win and Boston University taking a 6-0 victory.
Game One: Boston College 8, Indiana State 2
The Sycamores jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, capitalizing on Sophie Esposito's single before Olivia Colip's hit-by-pitch RBI and Whitley Wischmeier's sacrifice fly.
The Eagles responded with two runs of their own, tying the game after an RBI double from Hines and an RBI single from Slike. Indiana State ended the inning stranding two Eagles on base.
The Sycamores had a strong offensive start in the third inning with Hannah Welch leading off with a single, followed by Erschen reaching on an error and Wischmeier reaching on a fielder's choice. Despite having runners on base, they were left stranded.
On defense in inning three, freshman Brailey Mills made a key play, catching a line drive in right field and throwing out the runner at first resulting in a double play.
In the fourth inning, the Eagles took a 3-2 lead with a solo home run by Stephens.
Sophie Esposito led off the fifth with a single and quickly stole second. After Welch drew a walk, Erschen advanced both runners with a successful sacrifice bunt. Colip then reached on a fielder's choice, but Esposito was thrown out at home while Welch advanced to third, but they were yet again left stranded.
The Eagles extended their lead to 7-2 in the fifth inning. Megan Asher entered the circle with Jordan Thatcher behind the plate, facing four batters. Slike's single brought in Robinson to make it 4-2. Waggoner and Wischmeier re-entered as Boston College capitalized on a wild pitch, a single, and a sac fly to push their lead further.
In the sixth inning, Cassi Newbanks relieved Waggoner, but Boston College capitalized on a flyout to center, bringing in Espinoza to extend their lead to 8-2, securing the victory over the Sycamores.
Game Two: Boston University 6, Indiana State 0
The Sycamores faced a tough challenge in Game Two against Boston University, falling 6-0 despite several strong defensive plays.
Lauren Sackett pitched all 6.0 innings, allowing six hits and striking out three on Saturday evening.
Indiana State started the game with a highlight, as freshman Madison Poulson earned her first collegiate hit with a single. The defense followed suit with a flawless, three-up, three-down inning, setting a solid tone.
In the second innning, Sackett took charge, recording back-to-back strikeouts to keep the Terriers off the board.
However, Boston University broke through in the fourth inning. A sacrifice fly from Naivar brought in Lyons, and Baglieri's triple to right field drove in two more runs to give the Terriers a 3-0 lead. Indiana State's offense was unable to build momentum, leaving runners stranded in both the fourth and sixth innings.
On defense, Taylor Erschen made a key play in the fifth, starting a double play from third to first. But in the sixth inning, the Terriers added three more runs, capitalizing on Sycamore fielding errors to extend their lead and seal the 6-0 victory.
The Sycamores' three hits in Game 2 were highlighted by Madison Poulson, Annie Waggoner, and Morgan Goodrich.
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