Bucknell University
Lafayette
Bucknell Softball Falls 6-4 in Eight Innings to Lafayette on Late Home Run to Wrap Up PL Tournament
5/10/2008 8:00:00 AM | Softball
May 10, 2008
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Christina Giambrone hit a long two-run home run to right field in the top of the eighth inning to lead Lafayette to a 6-4 eight-inning victory over the Bucknell softball team Saturday afternoon at the Patriot League Tournament at Kaufman Field. The loss knocked the Bison out of the double-elimination tournament as they completed their season with a 23-29 record. The Leopards will advance to Sunday's championship series against Lehigh and play the Mountain Hawks at 10 a.m.
Bucknell, which lost to Lehigh earlier in the day by a 9-5 score, was very resilient in the game, coming back from deficits on a pair of occasions.
Katie McDonald started and pitched into the eighth inning and settled down after a rocky start. She walked the bases loaded in the first inning, but came out unscathed. Lafayette then plated three runs on a two-out, three-run home run by Stacey Kushner in the second.
The three-run deficit was short-lived as Cassie Lloyd hit a long two-run shot over the left field fence in the bottom half of the inning to bring Bucknell back to within 3-2. It was the team-high sixth home run of the season for Lloyd, who now has eight round-trippers in her career.
Back-to-back doubles by Kristin Frick and Mary Pavlovich in the fourth evened the score at 3-3. Pavlovich, the lone Bison starter without a hit earlier in the day against Lehigh, was 2-for-3 with 1 RBI against the Leopards.
The score remained 3-3 until the seventh when Lafayette when back on top when Kerry Griffin, Kristin Garganio and Sarah Price had consecutive singles to load the bases with two outs. Ninth-place hitter Emma Kline then singled to center, scoring Griffin. A strong throw by Ashley Beans to the plate got Garganio, who was trying to add an insurance run.
A leadoff walk by Jessie Snyder got things started for the Bison in the bottom of the seventh, but a pair of errors by left fielder Amanda Parker led to Ashley Carlson crossing the plate with the tying run. The second error by Parker was on a fly ball by Lauren Fry and that is when Carlson scored. Bucknell had a chance to win the game with runners on second and third and one out with Curatola and pinch hitter Alison Ford due up. However, Curatola struck out and Ford grounded out against reliever Ali Henry (11-10), who allowed two hits and struck out three in 1.2 innings of relief.
With one out in the top of the eighth, Giambrone hit her ninth home run of the season, giving Lafayette its eventual final advantage of 6-4. The home run knocked McDonald (9-14) from the game. She allowed 11 hits and six runs to go along with a season high-tying six walks in her 7.1 innings of work. Christie Wiest replaced her and the Leopards loaded the bases, but were unable to push across any insurance runs.
Pavlovich and Snyder both singled with two outs in the bottom of the eighth and advanced to second and third on a wild pitch, keeping hope alive for the Bison. However, Henry struck out Carlson to end the game and bring Bucknell's season to an end. The Bison fell to 4-5 in extra innings.
Kasey Karr started for Lafayette and yielded six hits, four runs, three earned runs, three walks and struck out three in 6.1 innings of work. She had pitched 4.1 innings earlier in the day in the Leopards' 5-3 victory over Army.
Bucknell managed eight hits in the game with Curatola and Pavlovich recording two apiece. Robyn Matchett, Kushner and Garganio each had two hits for Lafayette (26-23). Five of the Leopards six runs came on home runs.
The game marked the final contest in the careers of Bison seniors Curatola, Heather Haskin and Wiest.
The 23 wins Bucknell posted in 2008 were the fourth-most in program history. Additionally, the squad, which was the third seed, qualified for the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2005.
