Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Hosts Army in Key Patriot League Softball Series this Weekend
4/14/2006 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 14, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell softball team hopes to get back on the winning track this weekend when it hosts Army in a pivotal Patriot League series. The Bison and Black Knights will square off in doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday. First pitch each day is 12 p.m.
Bucknell (8-26, 2-6 Patriot League) enters this weekend on a six-game losing streak, while Army (11-24, 4-4 PL) has dropped four of its last five. The Black Knights swept the Bison in four games last year at West Point and Bucknell has dropped 15 of 17 to Army over the last four seasons, including seven straight.
In addition to ending their losing streak to the Black Knights, the Bison hope to halt their 31-inning scoreless streak after enduring four consecutive shutouts earlier this week.
After stepping out of conference for a doubleheader with in-state neighbor Penn State on Tuesday, Bucknell can set its sights on qualifying for its third consecutive Patriot League Tournament with its return to league play this weekend. The Bison, who last appeared in three straight postseasons in 1998-2000, enter the weekend tied for fifth place in the league standings with Holy Cross. The top four squads in the six-team league make the postseason. Bucknell's remaining league schedule features the bottom three teams in the standings.
Despite entering the weekend on a six-game losing streak, the Bison have had positives recently. They were swept in a four-game series last weekend by Lehigh, a team that has won 42 consecutive regular-season league contests, but forced extra innings in two of those games. Additionally, the Mountain Hawks tallied just 11 runs in the four games against the youthful Bucknell pitching staff. In fact, the Bison have seen their team ERA plummet in 14 games since returning from their spring break trip to Florida. They returned from that trip with a team ERA of 5.65, but that has fallen to its current level of 4.87.
Over the season's first 20 games Bucknell's opponents tallied 10 hits on 10 occasions. In the last 14 contests, foes have reached the 10-hit plateau just four times. Sophomore Christie Wiest (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley) and freshman Meaghan Haley (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley) have been paramount to the pitching staff's turnaround. Wiest, who had a 3.62 ERA upon returning from Florida, owns an ERA of 2.68 over the team's last 14 games. Haley leads the team with a 2.53 ERA since the return from Florida and has seen her ERA drop from 6.75 to 4.61 over that span.
Meghan Feller (Willoughby Hills, Ohio/Notre Dame) has been the team's most consistent hitter of late. She increased her career-high hitting streak to six games last Tuesday against Penn State. Feller, who entered this season with just five career hits after missing her entire sophomore campaign with an injury, is 8-for-12 during her streak and owns a .415 batting average this year.
Bucknell returns to non-league play Wednesday with a home doubleheader against Towson at 4 p.m.
