Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Softball Travels to Florida for Week at Rebel Spring Games
3/5/2009 7:00:00 AM | Softball
March 5, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell softball team will take advantage of its spring recess by heading to Kissimmee, Fla., for a week of competition at the Rebel Spring Games. The Bison (5-5) will play 10 games beginning Sunday, March 8 and ending Friday, March 13.
With its first game against Butler, Bucknell will play its 1,050th game in program history. Bison softball became a varsity sport in 1979 and has accumulated a 465-578-6 all-time record.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
- Bryant: The Bulldogs are 1-9 on the season with their lone win coming against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Feb. 28 at the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament. Anne Dobmeier leads the team at the plate with a .261 batting average (6-23). Pitcher Samantha Houseal is 1-8 on the year with a 3.27 earned run average.
- Buffalo: The Bulls are 4-2 this season with wins over Drexel, Memphis, Canisius and St. John's. The team is scheduled to play at the Marshall Round Robin in the days leading up to the Rebel Spring Games. Buffalo's top batter is Erin Zilka at .438 (7-16). Two pitchers have two wins each for the Bulls. Terese Diaz is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA, while Sharon Barr is 2-1 with a 3.14 ERA. Barr was named the Mid-American Conference Eastern Division Pitcher of the Week last week.
- Butler: The Bulldogs are 0-5 this spring, having been outscored 30-3 in five games at the North Texas Sleep Inn Classic last month. Melissa Shofroth is hitting .364 (4-11) on the year to lead the team. Although still looking for her first win, Breanna Fisher has a team-best nine strikeouts on the year.
- Columbia: The Lions have yet to play a game in 2009, but they will get a handful of competition leading into the Rebel Spring Games. Columbia will take on five teams in Boca Raton, Fla., prior to the facing the Bison.
- IPFW: The Rebel Spring Games will be the first competition for the Mastodons this year.
- Penn: Penn is 1-2 with a 6-1 win over George Mason in 2009. Alisha Prystowsky is hitting .500 (4-8), while Susan Miller owns a .400 average (2-5) to lead the team. Jessie Lupadarus is 1-0 this spring with 4.85 ERA.
- Robert Morris: The Colonials are 0-1 after having much of the UNC Greensboro Spartan Classic rained out last weekend. They will have another chance at a tune-up prior to the Rebel Spring Games when they play at the USF Under Armour Tournament before heading to Kissimmee.
- Sacred Heart: The Pioneers are 0-5 this year but have had four of their last five games called due to weather. Shannon McCoy is hitting .333 (4-12) through the first competition, while pitcher Jen Russell has a team-high 14 strikeouts.
- Yale: The Bulldogs have yet to begin 2009 competition. They will take to the field for the first time at the Rebel Spring Games.
REBEL SPRING GAMES SCHEDULE
Sunday, March 8
vs. Butler, 9 a.m.
vs. Penn, 1 p.m.
Monday, March 9
vs. Yale, 1 p.m.
vs. Sacred Heart, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, March 10
vs. IPFW, 9 a.m.
vs. Buffalo, 11 a.m.
Thursday, March 12
vs. Robert Morris, 3 p.m.
vs. Butler, 5 p.m.
Friday, March 13
vs. Columbia, 9 a.m.
vs. Bryant, 11 a.m.
LAST TIME OUT
- Bucknell was scheduled to play at the Golden Corral Classic in Elon, N.C., last weekend. Poor weather in the area forced the tournament to be cancelled. The games will not be rescheduled.
- The Bison went 2-2 at the Longwood Tournament in their last weekend of competition. The team fell to St. John's and Longwood but registered a pair of victories against Quinnipiac. - Alison Ford (Suison, Calif./Fairfield) and Ashley Beans (Hanover, Pa./Hanover) were named to the All-Tournament Team for their play at the Longwood Tournament. Ford, who made the team at third base, hit .545 (6-11) with four runs, four RBIs, two doubles and a triple. The sophomore also drew a pair of walks while starting all four games. Beans, a senior outfielder, hit .444 (4-9) on the weekend with three runs, two RBI, two walks and two extra-base hits.
UP NEXT
Bucknell will play its first home games of the 2009 season when it returns from Florida. The Bison will host Drexel in a doubleheader on Wednesday, March 25. The first game is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. at the Varsity Softball Field.
