Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Softball's Jane Messersmith Earns Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week Honor
4/20/2009 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 20, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell softball's Jane Messersmith (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) has been named the Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week following two outstanding pitching performances against Patriot League foe Lehigh last weekend. The freshman went 2-0 against the Mountain Hawks with a 0.00 ERA.
Messersmith, whose record now stands at 7-10, kicked off the weekend with a five-inning 9-0 shutout on Saturday, the first time top-ranked Lehigh had been shut out a league opponent since 2007. The California native gave up just one hit in the contest, a single in the fourth inning. She avoided trouble in the fourth by striking out two, including one for the third out with the bases loaded. Messersmith had four strikeouts in the game.
She repeated her performance on Sunday, this time earning a 3-1 win. Much like the previous day, Messersmith gave up just three hits in seven innings. She also struck out five and walked only two. Messersmith's strong outing, which included an RBI single to give Bucknell its first run of the matchup, helped the Bison to hand Lehigh its third league loss of the year.
Earlier in the week, Messersmith took a loss to Maryland-Baltimore County despite recording a career-high-tying seven strikeouts in six innings of work. She allowed six earned runs on nine hits in the Bison's 9-1 defeat.
The award is the first of Messersmith's career. She was also named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week on March 12.
Bucknell is 15-29 overall and 6-10 in the Patriot League. The league tally places the squad in a tie for fourth, putting it on the verge of qualifying for its second consecutive tournament appearance. Its final regular-season league series is scheduled for April 25-26 against Army at West Point, N.Y.
The Bison next face Susquehanna in their home finale on Thursday, April 23 for a 3:30 p.m. doubleheader at the Bucknell Softball Field. Both games will be broadcast live on local radio on WVBU 90.5 and online at SportsJuice.com. Live stats on GameTracker will also be available at BucknellBison.com.
