Bulldogs fall in extras to BC, 5-2, Thursday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Despite taking a 2-2 tie to extra innings, the Bryant University softball team fell to Boston College, 5-2, in eight innings Thursday afternoon at Conaty Park.

The Bulldogs (17-32) took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning thanks to Taylor Burger's (Killinworth, Conn.) 11th homerun of the season but two homers from Annie Murphy were too much to overcome as the Eagles (25-22) complete the season sweep.

Despite the loss, the Black and Gold had ample support on the sidelines from a handful of 9-12 year old girls from the Boys and Girls Club of Cumberland. Bryant juniors Ben Sawicki and Abbie Healy organized the successful event for a Public Relations class.

Bryant starter Elle Madsen (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks in eight innings in her 28th start of the year while Jesse Dreswick gave up just the two runs on four hits to pick up her fifth win of the season.

After one and a half scoreless, junior Hayley Bottino (Canyon Country, Calif.) got things going for the Black and Gold with a leadoff double down the right field line. After a Robyn Ukegawa (Carlsbad, Calif.) fly out advanced Bottino to third, Burger sent her sixth homer in as many games into the woods beyond center field to give the hosts the early 2-0 edge.

Two innings later, Murphy responded with a two-run shot of her own to knot the score, 2-2, after four innings of play.

For the final three innings of regulation, the two teams held each other scoreless until the Eagles exploded for three runs in the top of the eighth. First, Murphy sent her second two-run jack of the afternoon over the right-center field fence before Tatiana Cortez followed up with a solo shot of her own to left to put BC up, 5-2.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Bulldogs had runners on first and second but were unable to push any runs across, falling 5-2.

With its regular season in the books, Bryant awaits its possible postseason future pending the results of a pair of NEC doubleheaders between CCSU at LIU Brooklyn and Saint Francis U. at Robert Morris on Saturday.