Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Holy Cross*
Three-Hit Shutout by Wiest Helps Bucknell Softball to Split with Holy Cross
4/28/2007 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 28, 2007
Bucknell vs. Holy Cross Game One Box Score (W, 2-0)
Bucknell vs. Holy Cross Game Two Box Score (L, 2-1)
WORCESTER, Mass. - Christie Wiest (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley) fired a three-hit shutout to lead the Bucknell softball team to a 2-0 victory over Holy Cross in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Freshman Field. Meaghan Haley (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley) followed that outstanding pitching performance with a three-hitter of her own for the Bison in the nightcap, but Bucknell fell by a tight 2-1 score to the Crusaders.
The win in game one was the first shutout of the year for the Bison, who upped their recent hot stretch to five wins in seven games, marking the first time they had accomplished that feat since late in the 2005 season when a four-game sweep of Holy Cross propelled them to an eight-game winning streak.
Bucknell is now 12-30 on the year and 5-9 in Patriot League play. Holy Cross won its second league game to improve to 2-16 in the Patriot League and 5-37 overall. The Bison remain in a good position to qualify for the Patriot League Tournament for the third time in four years with Army splitting its doubleheader with Lafayette Saturday. The Bison, who have six league games remaining, have to win two more times than the Black Knights, who only have a pair of league contests left, both tomorrow at Lafayette.
Wiest, who equaled her career high with her seventh victory of the season, pitched masterfully as not once did Holy Cross have a baserunner reach third base until the seventh inning. The right-hander who stands eighth on Bucknell's career wins list with 18, recorded her 13th complete game of the season and limited to Holy Cross to just three walks to go along with three hits. She also recorded five strikeouts to up her total to 107 and break Brandi Porter's single-season record of 104.
Despite Wiest's solid performance in the circle the game entered the seventh inning scoreless as Holy Cross starter Sheena Stangler matched Wiest and allowed only four singles in the first six innings. However, the Bison finally go to her when Kristin Frick (West Chester, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) and Alyssa Okita (Davis, Calif./Davis) led off the seventh inning with back-to-back singles. Lauren Litts (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg), Bucknell's career RBI leader, knocked both of them in with a two-run single. Stangler then settled down and retired the next three hitters, but the damage was already done.
Okita and Litts both led the Bison with two hits apiece in the first game. As a team, Bucknell touched Stangler for eight hits.
The nightcap was another pitchers' dual between Haley (2-6) and Lindsey MacNeil as there were just eight hits in the contest, including five by Bucknell. The Crusaders plated single runs in the second and sixth innings, while the lone run for the Bison came on a sacrifice fly by Litts in the sixth.
Haley had one of the best outings of her two-year career by limiting Holy Cross to the three hits, no walks, two runs, only one of which was earned, and she struck out four.
The first run for the Crusaders came on a two-out solo home run in the second by Kelly O'Neil. The winning run in the sixth was unearned.
Sherry Finkel (Morgantown, W. Va./University) went 2-for-3 in game two to pace the Bison. Okita added another single to give her a team-high three hits in the doubleheader.
O'Neil was 2-for-2 in game two and had one of the three hits in game one for Holy Cross to give her three hits on the day.
The two runs the Bison allowed in the doubleheader were the fewest they have yielded since shutting out Maryland Eastern Shore in both ends of a twinbill last March.
Bucknell and Holy Cross square off again on Sunday in another doubleheader. First pitch is slated for 12 p.m. at Freshman Field.
