The Boston College softball team began their participation in the USF Invitational with a split outcome on Friday at the USF Softball Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Eagles secured a 10-7 win against Marist in their first game but were defeated by Saint Joseph’s 8-2 later that evening.
In the opening matchup, Boston College started strong by scoring three runs in the first inning, with contributions from Kae DePerio, Meghan Schouten, and Janis Espinoza. The team extended its lead to 6-0 after two innings. Espinoza doubled in the third inning and stole home during the next at-bat. Carly Bunnell was brought around to score following a single from Horn.
Pitcher Kelly Colleran struck out three consecutive batters in the fourth inning and finished with a career-high 13 strikeouts against Marist. The Eagles’ pitching staff combined for 14 strikeouts, marking their highest total since a game against Belmont in 2022. The offense produced 15 hits—Boston College’s most in a single game since March 2019 when they defeated Central Michigan.
Boston College increased its lead to 9-0 by the fifth inning before Marist responded with five runs of their own. Emma Knight added an RBI single in the seventh for Boston College, while Marist scored two more runs in their final turn at bat. The Eagles held on for a 10-7 victory.
In their second game of the day against Saint Joseph’s, both teams scored early, with Abby Ptak driving in a run for Boston College. However, Saint Joseph’s took control by scoring five runs in the second inning and maintained their advantage throughout. DePerio managed to cut into the deficit after advancing on an error and scoring in the fifth inning, but Saint Joseph’s added two more runs to secure an 8-2 win.
Abby Ptak extended her hitting streak to nine games during Friday’s action, while Kae DePerio has now reached base safely in seven consecutive games.
The Eagles will continue play at the USF Invitational on Saturday with games scheduled against Colgate and tournament host USF starting at 2 p.m.
