Bucknell University
Army
Wiest, Offense Power Bucknell Softball to Doubleheader Split with Army
4/19/2008 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 19, 2008
Game 1 Box Score: Bucknell 11, Army 2 (6 in.)
Game 2 Box Score: Army 7, Bucknell 5
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Christie Wiest (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley) pitched a three-hitter and broke the Bucknell career strikeout record in the process and Bucknell pounded out 15 hits, including seven of the extra-base variety, as the Bucknell softball team defeated Army 11-2 in six innings in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at West Fields.
The Bison then lost game two 7-5 as pitchers Katie McDonald (York, Pa./West York Area) and Heather Haskin (Noblesville, Ind./Thomas Scecina) yielded seven runs, 13 hits and walked five. Additionally, Bucknell (16-27, 7-7 Patriot League) was unable to capitalize on 10 hits and a pair of Black Knight errors.
The top six hitters in the Bison lineup excelled in game one, going 13-for-21 with nine runs scored, nine RBIs and all seven of the team's extra-base hits. That offensive firepower, which was capped by a two-run home run by Elyse Colmenero (Fresno, Calif./Central) in the bottom of the sixth, helped Bucknell defeat a league opponent in a shortened game due to the mercy rule for the first time since downing the same Army team 10-2 in six innings in the first game of a four-game series at West Point last April.
Colmenero led the way for Bucknell's offense with a pair of doubles to go along with her deep home run to left that gave the Bison their final nine-run margin. The freshman totaled three RBIs in the game and added another double in game two, vaulting her daily total of extra-base hits to four. Fellow rookie Lauren Fry (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) also posted a three-hit game and drove in a pair of runs. She finished 5-for-8 in the doubleheader with three runs scored and three driven in.
The big inning for the Bison was their six-run fourth when they opened a 9-2 lead. They had 10 hitters stroll to the plate and seven of them belted hits. Five consecutive hitters recorded hits at one point, including four extra-base hits in a row. In fact, Erin Cruatola (River Edge, N.J./River Dell), Colmenero, Cassie Lloyd (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) and Mary Pavlovich (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) had back-to-back-to-back-to-back RBI extra-base hits in the inning.
Lloyd's double to center knocked starter Veronica Barth (7-14) from the game after allowing 12 hits and nine runs in 3.2 innings. Pavlovich rudely greeted reliever Jessi Muckelroy with an RBI triple to right-center. That was the final hit for Bucknell until Fry singled and two batters later Colmenero homered to end the game of Elaine Plato.
Wiest, who entered the day tied with Sharon Nichols atop the Bucknell career strikeout list with 332, quickly jumped in front of her by striking out leadoff hitter Laura Baranek. Wiest (9-12), who tied her career high for wins in a season, recorded two more strikeouts and allowed three hits the rest of the way as she tallied her 18th complete game of the season. The only inning Army had more than one baserunner was in the fourth when Barth drew a one-out walk and then scored on a deep home run to left off the bat off Angela Deger.
Despite registering 10 more hits in game two, Bucknell fell behind 4-0 after the top of the third. The Black Knights registered one run in the first on back-to-back doubles by Erin McClain and Barth. They then tacked on three more in the third, all with two outs. McClain homered, Deger posted an RBI double and Sarah Yates singled home pinch runner Kelsie August.
Bucknell climbed back into the game when Fry smashed a one-out RBI triple to right and Curatola followed with a single that glanced off the pitcher's glove and gave her her second RBI of the day and her 31st of the season. She is now tied for sixth on the Bison single-season RBI list and is just four behind the record of 35.
Curatola's single knocked starter Muckelroy from the game and Bucknell did not score again until the sixth when Kristin Frick's two-RBI triple made the score 6-5. Her triple knocked home Ashley Beans (Hanover, Pa./Hanover) and Sam Rollandi (San Carlos, Calif./Notre Dame Belmont) and then she proceeded to score when the relay throw to third bounced out of play into the Bison dugout.
Trailing 6-5 entering the final frame, it appeared as though Bucknell had a chance for a sweep, but Chava Bobb led off the top of the seventh with a solo home run to left and the Bison went down in order in the seventh against Barth, who pitched the final 1.2 innings for her first save of the season.
McDonald (7-13) started and suffered the loss for Bucknell. She pitched the first 3.2 and final 1.0 innings for the Bison and gave up seven hits, six runs, four earned runs and struck out three. Haskin pitched the middle 2.1 innings and was touched for six hits, two walks and just one run.
Nicole Talarczyk (1-5) picked up her first win of the year in relief for Army, which is now 10-32 overall this year and 5-9 in Patriot League play. The Black Knights remain in fifth place in the Patriot League standings following Saturday's action, while Bucknell is still third, three games behind Lehigh and Lafayette, which are tied for first with identical 10-4 league marks.
Bucknell and Army will wrap up their four-game weekend series with two more games Sunday, the first starting at 11 a.m. The twinbill was originally slated for noon, but was moved up an hour due to the threat of rain in the Susquehanna Valley.
