The bats stayed hot despite chilly weather and occasional drizzle Sunday against Lasell College, carrying BU to two five-inning mercy victories, 19-3 and 16-2.

After a scheduled doubleheader against UConn was cancelled due to inclement weather Saturday, the Terriers took out their frustrations on the hapless Lasers. Junior catcher Dan Korney carried the offense in game one, putting his name in the ring for NCBA player of the week with an astounding 11 RBI, going 5-5 with a single, three doubles, and a 420-foot smash over the barricade in left-center.

Numerous other Terriers added to the diversified attack in game one, including seniors Alex Lambert, who reached base four times, Mike Walker, who mashed a long double and a hard single in five at-bats, and Jeff Nitz, who found his way on base in all five of his plate appearances. Freshman Brendan Blake headlined the second contest, going 2-2 with two singles, two walks, three runs, two runs batted in, a stolen base, and a couple of nice plays in his first start at shortstop. Sophomore Kevin Kravitz initiated the offense atop the order all day long, finishing 4-9 for the doubleheader, along with senior Mike Carozza, who collected three singles, a double, and a triple in his nine chances. 

The two games also saw solid performances from the pitching staff. In game one junior Randy Forrester kicked the afternoon off with three innings, yielding only two runs, and was followed by freshman Jake Seiner, who allowed one run, and sophomore Josh Cabana, who notched a scoreless inning to close out the win. Game two featured three shutout frames from senior Brandon Simes, and an inning apiece from freshman Mac Hewett and senior Walter Mayer, who each permitted his first run of the season to cross the plate.

The Terriers will look to stay hot against the Minutemen of UMass-Amherst April 19 and 20, with an opportunity to clinch the North Atlantic North Division on the line.

After a slow start to the season in perfect conditions down south, it appears what the Terrier offense needed was the familiar northeast cold. After failing to muster more than a run in three of four games in Tampa for Spring Training, the bats returned to form at Jim Rice Field against Northeastern on Thursday night, posting nine runs, and Sunday versus SUNY-Albany at Cleveland Circle, putting up nine in game one and 13 in the second half of the day's doubleheader.

Not too far behind the bats was the team's pitching staff, which showed its depth against Northeastern in a tune up for the start of league games on Sunday, then relied on only its two starters to finish the weekend. Thursday featured one scoreless inning from senior Brandon Simes, next three quality innings from sophomore Dan Evans, then a zero each from freshman Jake Seiner, sophomore Josh Cabana, and freshman Mac Hewett. The Thursday night contest with new rival Northeastern ended decidedly in BU's favor, 9-3.

Sunday saw more patience and power, as the Terrier outfield of sophomore Kevin Kravitz, senior Mike Carozza, and junior Phil Asaro got on base with regularity, setting the stage for big days from Cabana and senior Jeff Nitz. Junior ace Randy Forrester made sure the game was safe, going the distance himself, scattering four runs. Asaro helped Forrester's cause with a dart from the wet, muddy turf in right field to turn a would-be triple into a harmless out at third base in the fourth inning.

In game two the story was much the same. Brandon Simes threw six wild innings, walking three, allowing three singles, and hitting four batters, but helped by sharp defense and eight strike outs allowed only three runs. The offense, led by two doubles by senior Mike Walker and a long triple from sophomore Drew Marcotte produced a season high 13 runs, invoking the mercy rule on a walk-off double by junior Zach Purcell in the bottom of the 6th inning. Sophomore Charlie King also played well, going 1-2 with an RBI single and two walks on the day, as well as several nice scoops and grabs at first base.

The first week of games back in Boston places BU firmly in front in the North Atlantic North Division. The Terriers’ 10-1 conference record puts them three games ahead of top contender and 2007 champs UMass-Amherst, only two weeks from the deciding three-game series between the two teams April 19 and 20.

- Brandon Simes

The Boston University baseball team spent spring break in Tampa last week and, despite going winless in four games, the Terriers accomplished their most important goal: sorting out the pitching staff. The team used its first time outside since October to get every player on the roster extended playing time and to ease the pitching staff back into shape. Freshman pitcher George “Mac” Hewett showed he’s ready to take a bigger role on the staff with four shutout innings against the University of Pittsburgh and fellow freshmen hurlers Jake Seiner and Brendan Blake displayed promising efforts against Ferris State. Additionally, sophomore Josh Cabana looked great with two dominant innings against #8 Indiana University and senior Walter Mayer continued his season-long scoreless streak against Illinois State and Indiana.

The bats struggled for the most part in their first attempt at live pitching this spring, scoring only one run against Indiana, Pittsburgh, and Illinois, but showed signs of life by notching eleven against Ferris State, highlighted by shrieking line drives off the bats of sophomore outfielder Kevin Kravitz and senior shortstop Alex Lambert. The defense was its usual solid self with senior Mike Carozza patrolling centerfield and junior Phil Asaro in right, both displaying great range and their powerful right arms. Overall, while not successful in terms of wins and losses, the Terriers’ first trip down south proved to be a great way to jumpstart the season, as the team looks to build upon its 7-1 record and first place standing in the North Atlantic North Conference with a berth in this year’s regional tournament in Williamsport, PA.