Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lafayette
Bucknell Softball Closes Out Series with Lafayette with 5-2 Loss
4/2/2007 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 2, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell softball team rallied in the bottom of the seventh, but could not overcome an early 4-1 deficit as it closed out its four-game series with Lafayette with a 5-2 loss to the Leopards at a sun-splashed West Fields on Monday afternoon. The Bison fell to 6-19 overall and 1-3 in Patriot League play, while Lafayette improved to 11-9 and 3-1 in league play.
The game was originally slated to be played Sunday afternoon, but wet weather in Central Pennsylvania pushed the contest back one day so it could be played in wonderful spring-time conditions.
Lafayette scored one run in the first, two in the second and another in the third to put Bucknell down by a 4-1 margin after three innings. The Bison pitchers settled down and did not allow another run until the seventh. In fact, between the two-run second inning and the seventh, Lafayette did not send more than five hitters to the plate in any inning.
Trailing 5-1 entering its half of the seventh, Bucknell tried to post the game-winning score in the seventh for the fourth time in the series. The Bison won the first game with a walk-off home run by Ashley Beans (Hanover, Pa./Hanover) in the seventh, while Lafayette plated three runs in the top of the seventh in its first two wins on the weekend. A deep solo home run to center field by Cassie Lloyd (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg), the second of her career, led off Bucknell's half of the inning. A single by Beans then knocked starter Megan Averbuch (4-4) from the game. Mary Pavlovich (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) drew a two-out walk to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Sherry Finkel (Morgantown, W. Va./University). The freshman hit the ball on the nose, but reliever Aimee Dassner snared the hard-hit ball just inches from the ground to pick up her second save of the season.
The Leopards got on the board first when Kristen Ruckno, the Patriot League Player of the Week, one-hopped the left-center field wall with a double that scored Jill Masterton from first.
The Bison tied the score in the bottom of the first when Finkel singled up the middle with one out to score Erin Curatola (River Edge, N.J./River Dell) from third.
The turning point in the game came in the top of the second when two errors on a routine grounder by Averbuch helped lead to a pair of Leopard runs. Lafayette added an insurance run in the third on a long RBI double by Sarah Price that scored Allison LoBello from first.
All four of those early runs came against Meg Muirhead (Glendale, Calif./Flintridge Academy) (0-2), who went 4.1 innings and allowed just five hits, but walked four hitters. She yielded four runs, three of which were earned, and struck out two.
Christie Wiest (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley) relieved her with two on and one out in the fifth and proceeded to get out of the jam by getting LoBello to ground to short and striking out Price.
Wiest allowed just one hit in her 1.2 innings before being replaced by Meaghan Haley (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley) in the seventh. Using her strong fastball, Haley was impressive early, but Lafayette touched her for three consecutive singles as LoBello knocked in Christina Giambrone for the Leopards' final run. Haley did bear down and got out of the inning by retiring Averbuch and Amanda Parker with the bases loaded.
Bucknell was able to touch Averbuch for eight hits in the game, compared to the nine Lafayette accumulated. Lloyd led the way for the Bison with a pair of hits as she also singled in the fourth. Seven members of the Bison starting lineup earned hits, including Carlson, who went 1-for-2 and overtook Army's Lindsey Gerheim for the best batting average in the Patriot League at .388.
Bucknell wraps up its six-game homestand with a doubleheader against Drexel at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
