The Boston University softball team secured a 6-4 victory over Northwestern on Friday at the Duke Invitational in Durham, North Carolina. The Terriers scored all six of their runs in the second inning and held off a late rally from the Wildcats to notch their fourth win this season against a Power 4 opponent.
Junior Livia Christopher contributed a two-RBI double that gave BU the lead for good, while senior Brooke Deppiesse hit a two-run home run, which proved decisive after two other runs scored on a fielding error. Senior pitcher Kasey Ricard delivered 5.1 scoreless innings with four strikeouts before Northwestern mounted its comeback attempt. Haley Ganino, also a senior, earned her first career save by retiring all four batters she faced to close out the game.
“BU defeated its second different Big 10 opponent of the season following a 3-0 win against Maryland. The Terriers also earned their ninth win against the Big 10 under head coach Ashley Waters dating back to 2018 following earlier victories against Michigan State (3x), Penn State (2x), Minnesota and Purdue.”
The game began with both teams leaving runners stranded in scoring position during the first inning. In the second, BU’s offense came alive: Aimee Metz reached base on a walk and Camryn Lyons singled before Christopher’s double brought them home. Freshman Madolyn Coupal walked, and Irys Kline followed with a single that led to two more runs after an error in right field. Deppiesse capped off the rally with her home run to left center.
Northwestern responded with four runs in the sixth inning but could not overcome BU’s early lead. Ganino entered in relief and retired every batter she faced to secure the win.
Additional notes from the game highlight several milestones: Ganino recorded BU’s first save since last season; Deppiesse became the sixth Terrier to hit a home run this year; Christopher became the eleventh player on the team to hit a double this season; and Ricard is now one win away from becoming only the third Terrier pitcher to reach 80 career victories.
Looking ahead, Boston University will finish its participation at the Duke Invitational with a doubleheader on Saturday, facing Northwestern again at 10 a.m., followed by Ohio State at 3 p.m. The Terriers have yet to record a win against Ohio State in program history.
