Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lafayette*
Walk-Off Home Run by Beans Helps Bucknell Softball to Doubleheader Split with Lafayette
3/31/2007 8:00:00 AM | Softball
March 31, 2007
Bucknell vs. Lafayette Game 1 Box Score
Bucknell vs. Lafayette Game 2 Box Score
LEWISBURG, Pa. - A walk-off home run by Ashley Beans (Hanover, Pa./Hanover) leading off the bottom of the seventh inning led the Bucknell softball team to a 3-2 victory in the first game of a Patriot League doubleheader Saturday at West Fields. The Bison then lost to the Leopards 4-2 in the nightcap as they surrendered three runs in the seventh inning.
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Sunday's Bucknell-Lafayette softball doubleheader has been moved to 10 a.m. due to forecasted rain in the afternoon. The doubleheader will be broadcast live through www.SportsJuice.com.
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The Bison, who gave up game-winning runs to Towson in the sixth inning of both ends of a doubleheader Thursday, led 2-1 entering the seventh inning, but Kristen Ruckno led off with a single through the right side. Pinch runner Kelly Higgins then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Allison LoBello then grounded to shortstop and when Okita's throw went to first, Higgins tried to scamper to third. Shelly McCormack's (Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood) return throw beat her, but the ball rolled out of a pile of dust and Higgins was called safe. Megan Averbuch's two-out single brought her home to tie the score and set the stage for Beans.
Facing Averbuch (3-4), who matched Wiest with her sixth complete game of the year, Beans, the eighth hitter in the lineup, lifted a long fly ball over the left field fence for her first career round tripper.
Wiest was solid throughout the game as she retired 10 hitters in a row at one point and didn't allow her first hit until the fourth inning. The only other run off her came in the fifth when an Averbuch single under the outstretched glove of Okita brought home Amanda Parker from second.
Bucknell got on the board first in the second inning when Sherry Finkel (Morgantown, W. Va./University), Lauren Litts (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg) and Okita sandwiched three soft singles to the outfield around an Erin Curatola (River Edge, N.J./River Dell) fielder's choice to load the bases. With the bases loaded and one out McCormack hit a ball back through the box that glanced off Averbuch and right to shortstop Christina Giambrone, who flipped the ball to second while Curatola crossed the plate.
McCormack tallied the other RBI for the Bison when she hit what appeared to be a routine fly ball to center that Emma Kline lost in the sun. Okita rushed around the bases from first to score while McCormack ended up on second.
In the second game Lafayette (9-9, 1-1 PL) pitcher Kasey Karr brought a perfect game into the sixth inning, but Litts broke that up with a hard single right back through the middle. Pinch runner Kristin Frick (West Chester, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) advanced to second on a wild pitch and third on a ground out by McCormack. Monica Grinage (Rankin, Pa./Shady Side Academy) walked, setting up a first-and-third situation with two of the fastest Bison on the basepaths. Grinage stole second and when the Leopards tried to throw behind Frick at third, the ball got away and went out of play, bringing both runners home with only one hit in the inning.
Leading 2-1 entering the seventh, Bucknell starter Meaghan Haley (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley) tried to close out the win. However, the sophomore, who had allowed only five hits in the first six innings, allowed Lafayette to send eight batters to the plate and record four hits, all singles.
The big blow in the three-run seventh was a two-out, two-RBI single by Ruckno with the bases loaded that was barely fair as it bounced over third base on its way to the outfield. That hit gave Lafayette a 3-2 lead and Averbuch added an insurance run with another single.
Karr (4-4) limited Bucknell to just two hits in the game and allowed only three hitters to reach base. Haley (1-2) yielded nine hits, four runs, all earned, and two walks to go along with her three strikeouts.
Carlson, the leading hitter in the Patriot League with a .400 batting average coming into the doubleheader, went 0-for-6 and saw her average dip to .361. She also saw her career-best eight-game hitting streak come to an end.
Mary Pavlovich (Johnstown, Pa./Richland), who had two hits in the first game, and Litts, who posted one hit in each contest, joined Okita on the list of Bison with more than one hit in the twinbill.
Averbuch was 3-for-7 with three runs batted in Saturday, while Ruckno matched her as Lafayette pounded out 14 hits in the two games.
The two teams will square off in another doubleheader on Sunday. Due to rain in the forecast for Sunday afternoon, the twinbill has been moved to 10 a.m. The games will be broadcast live on the internet through www.SportsJuice.com by Doug Birdsong.
