Bucknell University
Saint Francis (PA)
Home Runs Help Bucknell Softball to Doubleheader Sweep of Saint Francis (Pa.)
4/3/2008 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 3, 2008
Game 1 Box Score: Bucknell 5, Saint Francis (Pa.) 3
Game 2 Box Score: Bucknell 11, Saint Francis (Pa.) 2 (5 in.)
LORETTO, Pa. - Erin Curatola (River Edge, N.J./River Dell) and Mary Pavlovich (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) each hit a three-run home run in an 11-run fifth inning to lead the Bucknell softball team to an 11-2 five-inning victory at Saint Francis (Pa.) to complete a doubleheader sweep Thursday afternoon. The Bison won game one 5-3 with Elyse Colmenero's (Fresno, Calif./Central) two-run home run in the fifth the difference in the contest.
Bucknell (10-20) completed the doubleheader sweep by scoring all 11 runs in the fifth inning of game two with two outs. The Red Flash (8-22) had gone ahead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth off Bison starter Katie McDonald (York, Pa./West York Area), who improved to 3-9 and allowed just three hits in the process.
Saint Francis starter Jerrica Smith (4-9) yielded just two hits to the Bison over the first four innings, but was in trouble each frame as Bucknell had at least two baserunners in each of the first four innings thanks to four walks and an error.
Smith got Jessie Snyder (Tacoma, Wash./Stadium) and Ashley Carlson (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) to ground out to start the fifth inning, but then the next 12 Bison reached base safely. The big blows in the inning were home runs to center field by both Curatola and Pavlovich.
It was the second round-tripper of the year for Curatola, who was 2-for-7 with four RBIs in the doubleheader. For Pavlovich, it marked the second home run of her career as she was 4-for-6 with three runs scored and three RBIs in the doubleheader. The duo hit third and fourth in the lineup in both games and had six of the team's 17 hits in the twinbill.
The Bison registered six hits, drew four walks and one player (Lauren Fry (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield)) was hit by a pitch in that pivotal fifth inning. The final out was finally recorded when Sam Rollandi left first base early after reaching on a single. A total of 14 Bucknell players paraded to the plate against three Red Flash pitchers.
Saint Francis nearly limited the damage to eight runs as Alison Ford was struck out by Janelle McCoy, the third Red Flash pitcher in the inning, but Ford reached on a wild pitch. Two batters later Pavlovich hit her three-run homer.
Game one ended in dramatic fashion as Fry caught a deep fly ball to left off the bat of Richele Hall that came a matter of feet from being a three-run, walk-off home run.
The Bison jumped out to a 5-0 lead with single runs in the third and fourth innings and three more in the fifth. Saint Francis chipped away with two runs in the fifth and one more in the seventh on a one-out home run by Kara Stroup.
Curatola recorded an RBI single in the third inning for Bucknell, which registered nine hits in the game, including three by Pavlovich and two by Cassie Lloyd (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg). Ashley Beans (Hanover, Pa./Hanover) drove in Sherry Finkel (Morgantown, W. Va./University) with a double in the fourth.
The Bison added three insurance runs in the fifth that proved to be of utmost importance. Lloyd singled home Pavlovich with two outs and Colmenero followed with a two-run shot to left-center.
Stroup, who was 2-for-4 and drove in all three Red Flash runs in game one, touched Bucknell starter Christie Wiest (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley) for a two-RBI single in the fifth. One of the runs was unearned even though Saint Francis had three consecutive singles off Wiest.
Following Stroup's home run in the seventh, Wiest walked back-to-back hitters. She then retired Hilary McNelis on a groundout, bringing Hall to the plate with tying runs on second and third. Hall then flew out to deep left to Fry to end the game.
Overall, Wiest scattered nine hits and struck out five as she repeatedly worked out of jams. She never retired Saint Francis in order as she tallied her 14th complete game of the season. She is now 7-9, which is just two wins shy of her career high.
Laura Caldwell (3-13) also pitched a complete game and yielded nine hits for the Red Flash.
Fry and Colmenero both had hits in each game Thursday as they extended their hitting streaks. Fry, who is hitting a team-best .309 this season, has now hit in eight consecutive games, while Colmenero is at six straight.
With three home runs against the Red Flash, Bucknell now has 11 this year. That is one more than its total from all of 2007 and is tied for fifth on the program's all-time list.
The Bison, who play 15 of their final 19 games at home, return to Patriot League play this weekend when they host Colgate. Doubleheaders both Saturday and Sunday will begin at 12 p.m.
