Bucknell University Athletics
Saturday's Bucknell-Holy Cross Softball Doubleheader Postponed
4/21/2006 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 21, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell's home Patriot League softball doubleheader against Holy Cross, scheduled for Saturday at 12 p.m., has been postponed due to expected heavy rains in the Susquehanna Valley Saturday afternoon. The Bison and Crusaders will now play their four-game series Sunday and Monday. Sunday's twinbill will still start at 12 p.m., while Monday's is tentatively slated for 1:30 p.m.
Bucknell (11-31) is still in the hunt for its third consecutive Patriot League Tournament berth entering this weekend. The Bison stand fifth in the league standings at 4-8, just two games behind Lafayette, Colgate and Army, which are all tied for second with matching 6-6 records. The top four teams in the six-team league qualify for the postseason. Holy Cross (7-26) is 3-9 in PL play.
Lauren Litts (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg) hit her career-high sixth home run of the season Thursday during a doubleheader split on the road at Siena. She is now second on the Bucknell career home run list with 14 in her three-year career, just two behind teammate Lauren Wible's (Dover, Pa./Dover) standard of 16. Litts' team-high 25 RBI this season ranks tied for ninth on the Bison single-season list, while her 64 career RBI is 10th. Litts, who sees most of her time at catcher, is hitting a career-best .333 this year.
Kris Devore (Washington, Pa./Trinity) leads the team in hitting with a career-high .348 batting average. She has at least one hit in seven of her last eight games, and even tallied the first four-hit game of her career last weekend against Army. The shortstop is tied with Litts for the team lead with a career-high 40 hits. She is also tied with Litts for 10th on the Bison single-season doubles list with 10.
Christie Wiest (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley) has been the ace of the pitching staff this year despite a 2-11 record. The Bison have lost six games she has started and allowed two runs or less, including a 1-0 decision Thursday at Siena. Wiest owns a team-best 3.29 ERA and has registered seven complete games in 16 starts. The right-hander has piled up a career-high 82 strikeouts to rank ninth on Bucknell's single-season list and is just 22 away from tying Brandi Porter's standard of 104 that has stood since 2002.
Bucknell has won eight consecutive games against Holy Cross and leads the all-time series 30-21. The last time the Bison lost to the Crusaders was when the two squads played a neutral-site game at Army late in the 2003 campaign.
Prior to Sunday's doubleheader, Bucknell's three seniors, Devore, Ashley Sarnecky (Wilmington, Del./Charter School of Wilmington) and Wible, will be honored in Senior Day ceremonies.
Holy Cross enters Sunday's doubleheader on a five-game losing streak since handing Lehigh, the top team in the Patriot League, its first loss in league play after 44 straight wins last weekend. The Crusaders, who have won exactly one game in each of their league series, also forced an 11-inning contest against the Mountain Hawks last weekend. Megan Lally leads Holy Cross in hitting with a .330 average, while Marsha Babcock is the team's top pitcher with a 4-8 record and 2.67 ERA.
Monday's doubleheader closes out the home slate for Bucknell. The Bison take to the road to face Delaware Wednesday, and then play at Lafayette next weekend to wrap up the regular season.
