Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lafayette*
Bucknell Softball Swept by Lafayette, Postseason Hopes Dashed
4/30/2006 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 30, 2006
EASTON, Pa. -- Megan Averbush picked up a pair of complete-game victories, including a four-hit shutout in the opener, leading Lafayette to a doubleheader sweep of Bucknell on Sunday afternoon in the Patriot League regular-season finale at Metzgar Field. With the wins, the Leopards earn the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament, while Bucknell is eliminated from postseason play.
Entering the day, Bucknell, Army, Colgate and Lafayette were all separated by just a half game for the final three Patriot League Tournament seeds. Lafayette and Colgate both picked up sweeps on Sunday to finish 10-10 in league play, and the Leopards will be the No. 2 seed based on the head-to-head tiebreaker. Army finished 9-11 to take the No. 4 seed, while Bucknell finishes 8-12 and will have to settle for fifth place.
Lafayette took the opener with single runs in the first and third innings. Lauren Belowich's RBI single made it 1-0, and the Leopards went up 2-0 on Kristen Ruckno's run-scoring double in the third. That was all Averbush (9-14) needed. She allowed only four hits and was in control after escaping a pair of early jams.
In the second inning Kris Devore (Washington, Pa./Trinity) and Damara Farkas (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) singled to give Bucknell runners at first and second with one out, but Averbush worked out of it by getting a flyout and a strikeout. In the third, Erin Curatola (River Edge, N.J./River Dell) led off with a triple but was stranded at third, and that was the last runner the Bison could get into scoring position.
Christie Wiest (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley) pitched well, allowing just the two runs on five hits in six innings.
Lafayette put the nightcap away early, scoring six runs in the bottom of the first. All six runs were charged to Meg Muirhead (Glendale, Calif./Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy), who retired only one batter before being replaced by Meaghan Haley (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley). The Leopards collected six hits and batted around in the inning, with Sarah Price's two-run single providing the go-ahead runs.
The Bison pulled within 6-3 in the third on an RBI single by Lauren Litts (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg) and a run-scoring double by Jennifer James (Ambler, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham). But Lafayette blew it open with a four-run third, capped by a three-run homer by Jill Masterson.
Lafayette won it by the eight-run rule on Belowich's two-run single in the bottom of the fifth. Every Lafayette starter had at least one hit as the Leopards pounded out 15 hits in five innings in the nightcap.
Litts and Lauren Wible (Dover, Pa./Dover) had two hits each in game two for Bucknell. Wible finishes her brilliant career as Bucknell's career leader in home runs (17) and runs batted in (96). The Bison finish 2006 with a 15-37 overall record.
