UMass Boston softball player in action at a previous home game. Image provided by Beacon Athletics.
The UMass Boston softball team continues to perform with consistency as the season officially starts. The first official games of the season were back-to-back double headers against non-conference opponents, Bridgewater State University and Emmanuel College.
After their victorious record in the South Carolina Fastpitch tournament, the Beacons kept the momentum going by winning three out of their four games against BSU and Emmanuel.
The season opener against Bridgewater State Bears was Thursday, March 23. Lauren Miner got the scoring started with two runs in the first inning. During the second inning, the Beacons scored three more runs at the hands of Sydney Sanden, Bri Melchionda and Haley Tilberry.
The Bears, on their part, were only able to score one. Their stagnancy allowed the Beacons to enter the third inning with a score of 5–1 in their favor. Emily Doble was a team leader who, from the pitching circle, ensured no runs were scored against UMass Boston.
During the fourth inning, the Beacons kept their foot on the gas as Sanden, Miner and Melchionda scored four more runs. The game ended early with a score of 9–1, through the mercy rule.
The mercy rule ends the game at the fifth inning when a team is ahead by eight or more points.
The second game had less action at the beginning. The first three innings had no runs from the Beacons and one from the Bears.
During the fourth inning, the Beacons got back to work and scored four runs. The fifth inning propelled them into scoring three extra runs. The game ended as UMass Boston’s second victory of the day with a score of 7–1 (1).
The double win was a 180 degree turn from last year. In their 2022 double-header, Bridgewater defeated UMass Boston during the second game 7–0 (2).
Friday, March 24, the UMass Boston Softball Team played their first home game. They took the fields’ plastic cover off as a team and prepared to make their mark on the freshly outlined softball field.
The first game started quietly, as during the first three innings, UMass Boston and Emmanuel scored only one run. Melchionda again helped the Beacons score from the circle and the plate.
Then, during the fourth and fifth inning, the Beacons scored one run. Emmanuel stayed quiet and didn’t score any. This continued to the sixth inning where the Beacons scored two more runs ending the game victoriously 5–1.
The second game of the day began at 5 p.m. The way the game played out was similar to the first, as the Beacons didn’t score any runs during the first three innings. Emmanuel took advantage of this and scored one run during the first and second innings.
When the game reached the fourth inning, the Beacons picked up momentum and scored three runs at once. During the following two innings, UMass Boston remained ahead 3–2, while neither team scored any runs.
As the game reached the seventh inning and the sun fell through the sky, Emmanuel caught an advantage of two runs. The game ended just before sunset as a loss for UMass Boston with 4–3 being the final score (3).
The first softball games in Massachusetts prove that the Beacons deserve attention this spring season as they bring a strong effort to the field, and the Little East Conference agrees. The LEC awarded Bri Melchionda “Player of the Week” honors on March 27 for her consistent wins with the Beacons (4).
The team seems much stronger than predicted during the LEC preseason poll, where they were anticipated to end sixth. The freshmen additions, such as Miner, took center stage during their initial four games, giving UMass Boston excitement for a successful season with newcomers contributing.
UMass Boston remains first among its LEC peers, yet the team is still waiting to face them. Conference games will start to pick up through this month. Saturday, April 8, they will play at home and face the University of Southern Maine at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The following week, they will head to Danbury, Conn. to face Western Connecticut State Tuesday, April 11.
Follow the Beacons by streaming the games live through littleeast.tv
and watching home games at the softball field in front of the Housing dorms.
Up to date results can be found on beaconsathletics.com and on the athletics Instagram @umassbeacons