Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Towson
Bucknell Softball Drops Pair of Four-Run Decisions to Towson, 8-4 & 7-3
4/16/2008 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 16, 2008
Game 1 Box Score: Towson 8, Bucknell 4 | Game 2 Box Score: Towson 7, Bucknell 3 |
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - Despite 22 total hits, including 13 in game one, the Bucknell softball team lost a pair of four-run games to Towson on Wednesday afternoon at West Fields. The Bison dropped game one 8-4 as the Tigers used a four-run first inning to set the tone. Bucknell then lost game two by a 7-3 margin, sending no more than four hitters to the plate in any of the final five innings.
The Towson (27-18) offense was impressive early, batting around and scoring four runs in the first inning of game one off Bison starter Christie Wiest (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley). The big blow in the inning was a two-run triple by Nina Navarro that almost hit the fence in right-center on a line.
The Tigers added single runs in the third, fourth, sixth and seventh innings as the Bison never drew closer than four.
Elyse Colmenero (Fresno, Calif./Central), who recorded a hit for the 15th time in 16 games in game one before going 0-for-3 in game two, and Ashley Beans (Hanover, Pa./Hanover) posted back-to-back one-out singles in the second inning, but the Bison never seriously threatened until the fourth when Erin Curatola (River Edge, N.J./River Dell) scored from third on a throwing error by the catcher, who was trying to gun down Beans' steal attempt at second.
After six hits and just one run through the first five innings, the Bison managed seven hits and three runs in the final two frames. Curatola, Colmenero and Beans led off the sixth inning with three straight singles to load the bases. Cassie Lloyd (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) followed with a two-out double to center that scored two. Beans was caught at home on the play trying to score as the Towson advantage was cut to 7-3.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Bucknell added one more run following three consecutive singles by Jessie Snyder (Tacoma, Wash./Stadium), Lauren Fry (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) and Curatola.
Wiest (8-12) suffered the loss for the Bison, yielding 12 hits and eight runs, six of which were earned, in her 6.0+ innings of work. She had three strikeouts, tying the program record for career strikeouts (332) in the process, and one walk before giving way to Heather Haskin (Noblesville, Ind./Thomas Scecina) one batter into the seventh. Haskin allowed one hit, but got out of the inning with just the inherited runner scoring on a sacrifice fly.
Shannon Johnston (14-8) won for Towson, scattering Bucknell's 13 hits while registering her 16th complete game of the season. She had four strikeouts and allowed just two earned runs.
Bucknell jumped out on top in game two, scoring an unearned run in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Curatola, who was 4-for-8 in the doubleheader and was one of three Bison along with Snyder and Beans to have three hits in game one.
Towson went ahead with three runs in the top of the second. All three scored on a double to left field by Sammi DiPompo, the ninth hitter in the lineup. Emily Gould and Stephanie Fudurich had reached on two-out singles, while Meaghan Clark loaded the bases thanks to an error by Snyder at shortstop. DiPompo then hit her double over the head of Fry to clear the bases.
Bucknell (15-26) evened the score in the bottom half of the inning when Snyder continued her hot hitting from game one and laced a two-out, two-run single to right, plating Lloyd and Mary Pavlovich (Johnstown, Pa./Richland).
With the score tied 3-3 entering the third inning, Bucknell had a chance to defeat Towson for just the second time in the last 10 meetings. However, the Bison managed just five hits over the final five innings of play and each of those were singles. During that span they did not have a runner reach third base, and just two got as far as second against the Tigers' starter Claire Rietmann-Grout (11-6).
Bison starter Katie McDonald (York, Pa./West York) settled down and did not allow more than one run in an inning after the three-run second, but Towson added on single runs in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. McDonald fell to 7-12 even though just three of the seven runs she yielded were earned. She scattered eight hits and struck out three.
Curatola and Snyder were the big hitters on the day for Bucknell. Each posted four hits, while Snyder's all came hitting in the No. 2 hold in the lineup. Beans also posted a four-hit day, while Lloyd chipped in three hits.
The doubleheader marked the final non-league games of the season for Bucknell, which will finish out its 2008 regular-season schedule with a pair of four-game series against Army and Holy Cross. The Bison will host the Black Knights in doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday.
