Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Softball Closes Home Schedule with Susquehanna Thursday
4/22/2009 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 22, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell softball will try to build some momentum heading into its final weekend of regular-season play when it takes on Susquehanna on Thursday. The Bison-Crusaders matchup is slated for 3:30 p.m. at the Bucknell Softball Field, marking the last home series of 2009 for the Orange and Blue. 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.
Bucknell (15-29, 6-10 PL) is 10-2 all-time against Susquehanna (16-13, 6-4 Landmark), including a 2-0 victory over the Crusaders last season. Katie McDonald (York, Pa./West York Area) claimed the pitching win after combining with former teammate Christie Wiest for a three-hit shutout. Ashley Beans (Hanover, Pa./Hanover) finished 2-for-3 with a double. It was the first time the two teams had met since 1985.
ABOUT THE BISON
- Bucknell finished an exciting series with the Patriot League's top-ranked team in Lehigh by posting a 2-2 record against the Mountain Hawks. By splitting each of the weekend's doubleheaders, the Bison became the league's second team to take a win off Lehigh this season and only the first league squad to do it twice. Jane Messersmith (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) earned the pitching victories on both days, shutting out Lehigh 9-0 in five innings on Saturday and closing the weekend with a 3-1 win on Sunday.
- For her performance against the Mountain Hawks, Messersmith was named the Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week on Monday. She posted a 0.00 ERA against Lehigh, allowing just one unearned run on four hits in 12 innings. She also recorded an RBI single in Sunday's second game, giving Bucknell its first run of the contest.
- Cassie Lloyd (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) continues to lead the Patriot League in batting average. Through the first 16 games of league action, the senior co-captain is hitting .489 (22-for-45). Her 22 hits also tie her for the league lead. Lloyd leads the Bison in overall batting average at .343 (37-for-108).
- Beans and Alison Ford (Suison, Calif./Fairfield) each drilled home runs to lead off the scoring in the 9-0 shutout against Lehigh on Saturday. The two shots pushed the 2009 squad into first place on the single-season list for team homers. With 24 on the season, the current team bettered the previous record of 22 set last year.
- The Bison are fighting for one of the final two spots in the Patriot League Tournament. With just one league series remaining in the regular season, Bucknell is in a fourth-place tie with Holy Cross. Both teams are 6-10 in the league. Lehigh and Colgate have already clinched tournament berths. The top four teams advance to the tournament, which be held on the home field of the regular-season champions.
ABOUT THE CRUSADERS
- With one more doubleheader before Susquehanna's trip to Bucknell, the Crusaders are 16-13 overall and 6-4 in the Landmark Conference. The Division II team was swept by conference foe Moravian on Saturday and will face off against Lycoming on Wednesday.
- Prior to dropping both games against Moravian, the Crusaders had won five of their last six. That stretch included a split with Scranton and sweeps of Juniata and Wilkes.
- Susquehanna boasts seven players hitting better than .300, led by Shelly Landis at .361 (22-for-61) and Lisa Finizio at .358 (39-for-109). Landis leads the squad with eight doubles on the year, while Laurie Blaszka is tops in home runs with four. Cara Swerdlow heads the Crusaders' pitching staff with a 12-7 record and 2.45 ERA. She also leads with 121 innings pitched, far ahead of the next Crusader, Bryn Whitmire, at 30 innings.
UP NEXT
The Bison will hit the road for their final regular-season series. They will face off against Army in West Point, N.Y., with Saturday's doubleheader getting underway at 1 p.m. Sunday's action kicks off at 11 a.m.
