Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lafayette
Bucknell Clinches Spot in Patriot League Softball Tournament with Doubleheader Sweep of Lafayette
4/24/2005 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 24, 2005
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell softball team, which needed one win to wrap up a position in next week's Patriot League Tournament, easily took care of business as it swept a doubleheader from Lafayette Sunday afternoon at West Fields. The Bison won the first game 8-0 in five innings behind 4.2 innings of shutout pitching from Christie Wiest. Bucknell used an eight-run sixth inning to post a come-from-behind win the second game as Michelle Danish was 4-for-4 in the contest with three extra-base hits.
With the win in the first game the Bison clinched the fourth seed in the Patriot League Tournament, which will take place April 30-May 1 in Bethlehem, Pa. Top-seeded Lehigh will serve as the host school and will be Bucknell's first opponent in the double-elimination tournament. Army and Colgate are the other two teams that qualified for the four-team field.
Wiest (6-6) extended her consecutive scoreless innings streak to 13.0 with her 4.2 shutout frames in the first game. She scattered six hits and struck out five while not walking a batter. Lisa Vaccaro relieved Wiest and struck out Jill Masterton to end the Lafayette (9-34, 3-15 PL) fifth inning with runners on second and third.
Bucknell (15-18, 8-10 PL) started off slowly against Leopard starter Megan Averbuch (2-6) as it did not score until plating two runs in the third on a towering two-run home run to left-center by Kris Devore, her second round-tripper of the season. The Bison added two more runs in the fourth and ended the game on the eight-run rule by scoring four times in the bottom of the fifth.
Alyssa Schneebaum, who was 3-for-7 in the doubleheader, including 2-for-3 in the first game, doubled to lead off the fourth inning for Bucknell. Monica Grinage pinch ran for the junior and advanced to third on a groundout by Heather Haskin. Ashley Sarnecky then picked up the first of her two runs batted in with a double to right field. She then scored to put the Bison up 4-0 when Kathryn Longshore, the Lafayette catcher, threw wide of third base as Sarnecky stole. Sarnecky was able to trot home as the ball rolled into left field.
Bucknell ended the game in the bottom of the fifth by scoring four runs on just one out. Lauren Wible, who was 2-for-4 in the doubleheader to drop her nation-leading average to .523, walked to get the frame started. Lauren Litts sacrificed Wible to second, but reached when second baseman Gianna Lopreato could not handle the throw at first base. After a Devore groundout, the only out recorded in the inning that saw seven Bison bat, the next four Bucknell players reached on hits. Erin Curatola doubled to knock Litts in from third. Wible had already scored the first run of the inning on a wild pitch. Heather Haskin then singled to score Curatola from second. Sarnecky picked up the game-ending RBI with a single to score Schneebaum, who had reached on a single of her own two batters earlier.
In her 4.1 innings of work, Averbuch yielded 10 hits and eight runs, six earned. She also walked two and struck out five.
Lafayette opened the second game with three runs in the first inning as the first three hitters all reached base against Bucknell starter Julie Williams. Masterton, who was 2-for-3 in the game, had the big blow with a two-run triple to right-center. Williams settled down and allowed just one more run in the third inning before being removed in favor of Vaccaro (5-6) to begin the fourth. Williams allowed four hits, four runs, two walks and struck out two in her 3.0 innings. The score was tied at 4-4 when she exited.
The Bison were able to even the score with one run in the first and three in the second off starter Lauren Belowich (4-14). Litts, who was one of seven Bucknell players with more than one RBI in the doubleheader, drove in the lone run in the first with a single that scored Jennifer James. She picked up two more RBIs in the third with a double to left field that scored James and Jill Pompeii. Wible picked up the other RBI when she was hit on the hand by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Lafayette touched Vaccaro for one run in the fifth to take a 5-4 lead when Longshore doubled to right to score Kristen Ruckno.
That run forced the Bison to come back again, and they did, scoring eight runs on seven hits in the sixth inning. All eight runs were against Belowich, who gave up all 14 hits and 12 runs. She did give way to Therese Taraschi with two outs in the inning. Trarschi promptly got Sarnecky to ground out and end the inning. Sarnecky was the 11th batter in the inning and Bucknell did plenty of damage before she grounded out as the first five hitters reached base.
Danish, who was 4-for-4 with two doubles and a home run, led off the inning with a double. She scored when the next batter Curatola, singled to left and the left fielder, Averbuch, bobbled the ball. James then walked, and Megan Fink reached on a bunt single to load the bases for Wible. She smacked a line-drive double down the right-field line to drive in two runs. After Litts popped out to second, Haskin and Schneebaum had back-to-back RBI singles to make the score 10-5. Danish completed the scoring with her second hit of the inning, a two-run home run to left-center field that chased Belowich from the game.
The first three hitters in the top of the seventh inning did reach and score for Lafayette, but Vaccaro was able to get out of the inning without the Leopards drawing closer than four runs. Vaccaro picked up the win by pitching four innings in relief and allowing four runs on five hits. She walked one and struck out four.
Eight Bucknell players tallied at least two hits, with Danish and Haskin leading the way with four each. James and Schneebaum added three apiece as the Bison pounded out 24 hits in the two games. Five players scored at least two runs with James and Wible pacing the team with three. Nine of Bucknell's 24 hits in the doubleheader went for extra bases.
Lafayette, which tallied just 15 hits in the doubleheader, was led by three hits from both Ruckno and Masterton.
Bucknell and Lafayette will not make up Saturday's doubleheader that was postponed due to inclement weather in the Lewisburg area. The Bison will next be in action Wednesday, April 27, at 2:30 p.m. against Delaware at West Fields. It is the final regular-season doubleheader of the season for Bucknell.
