Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Softball Hosts Colgate Saturday to Open Patriot League Slate
3/31/2006 7:00:00 AM | Softball
March 31, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa. - In the middle of a season-long 10-game homestand, the Bucknell softball team will open its Patriot League schedule this weekend by hosting a four-game series against Colgate. The Bison will meet the Raiders in doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday. First pitch Saturday is slated for 1 p.m., while Sunday's twinbill will start at 12 p.m.
With league play getting underway, Bucknell will attempt to qualify for the Patriot League Tournament for the third consecutive season. The top four teams in the six-team league qualify for the postseason tournament, which will be held at the home of the highest seed May 12-13.
Bucknell and Colgate have already met once this season in a non-league contest with the Raiders posting a 4-3 victory at the George Washington Colonial Classic. The teams split four games in Hamilton last year. Bucknell owns a 32-27 advantage in the series, but Colgate has won six consecutive contests in Lewisburg. The Bison will be trying to start league play with a victory for the first time since they defeated Lehigh 2-1 in their 2001 PL opener.
Bucknell (6-18) enters the weekend having won three of its last four games as it swept UMES last Saturday and split a doubleheader with Saint Francis (Pa.) Monday. Colgate ended a four-game losing streak with a doubleheader sweep of Penn Sunday.
Veterans have led the way at the plate for the Bison, with senior Kris Devore (Washington, Pa./Trinity), junior Lauren Litts (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg) and senior Lauren Wible (Dover, Pa./Dover) among the team leaders in nearly every offensive category. The trio is hitting .349, paced by Devore's team-high .387 batting average that places her fourth in the Patriot League. The three middle-of-the-order hitters have 68 of the team's 159 hits, 46 of the squad's 73 runs batted in, 20 of the team's 30 doubles and one-half of the total bases. Additionally, all five of Bucknell's home runs have been hit by Devore (1), Litts (3) and Wible (1).
Christie Wiest (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley) continues to be the ace of the pitching staff. The lone non-freshman on the staff, the sophomore is 2-6 with a team-leading 3.62 ERA. She has started eight times and has registered three complete games and one shutout. In 56.0 innings of work she has struck out 52 hitters, which ranks second in the Patriot League.
Colgate (7-10) enters the weekend with three of the top seven hitters in the league. LaPorscha Albert leads the way for the Raiders with a .418 average to rank second in the conference. Colgate leads the Patriot League in hitting with a .283 average.
Bucknell concludes its 10-game homestand Wednesday against Towson. The doubleheader is slated for a 3 p.m. start at West Fields. The two teams split a doubleheader in Towson, Md., last year.
