April 30, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell softball has a lot on the line as it prepares to host Army in its regular-season finale against Army May 1-2 at the Bucknell Softball Field. The Bison (22-15-1, 9-7) are looking to position themselves as the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament set for later this month as well as secure their first winning season since 1996. The team will also be celebrating Senior Day prior to Saturday's first pitch at 1 p.m.
Live stats for all four games will be available at BucknellBison.com. Sunday's action, beginning at noon, will also be broadcast live on the radio on WVBU 90.5 FM and online at SportsJuice.com.
ABOUT THE BISON
Bucknell struggled in the finale of the series with Lehigh on Wednesday. After getting rained out last Sunday, the Bison returned to Bethlehem for a 10-8 loss in game one and a 4-2 loss in game two.
Lauren Fry (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) hit .714 (5-for-7) against the Mountain Hawks on Wednesday, bringing her season average to a team-best .393.
Fry is just one of eight Bison with at least 40 at-bats to be hitting better than .300. Joining the junior are Alison Ford (Suisun City, Calif./Fairfield) (.382), Jane Messersmith (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor) (.372), Shelly McCormack (Humble, Texas/Kingwood) (.357), Elyse Colmenero (Fresno, Calif./Central) (.345), Mary Pavlovich (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) (.337), Mary Horton (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) (.333) and Sherry Finkel (Morgantown, W. Va./University) (.330).
Pavlovich continues to move up the rankings in Bucknell's record books. The senior is fourth in career doubles (36), tied for fourth in games played (173), sixth in runs scored (87), 10th in hits (141) and tied for 10th in home runs (7).
The 2010 Bison are also moving into the top 10 in team records. With a majority of the season gone, this year's squad is tied for fourth in home runs (10), third in runs scored (215), second in RBI (192) and fifth in walks (117).
Bucknell enters the final weekend in third place in the Patriot League standings. Army and Lehigh lead the league with 11 wins apiece, although the Black Knights are two games off the pace after having half their series last weekend rained out.
Ford continues to lead the Bison in RBI with 26 on the year. Closing in on the junior are Fry and Finkel with 23 apiece. McCormack and Okita are also in the mix with a career-high 21 runs batted in this spring.
Bucknell's seniors, including Finkel, McCormack, Okita, Pavlvoich and Lauren Trosch (Reisterstown, Md./McDonogh) will be recognized prior to Saturday's doubleheader. In their four years in the Orange and Blue, the cohort has amassed 356 hits, 218 runs and 107 extra-base hits. They also have won just over 42 percent of their games at Bucknell.
ABOUT THE BLACK KNIGHTS
Army comes to Lewisburg at 28-16 overall and 11-3 in the Patriot League after a two-game sweep over Marist on Thursday. In league action this season, the Black Knights have swept Lafayette and Holy Cross, and split with Lehigh. Army also split its first doubleheader against Colgate before the second day of the series was rained out last weekend.
Leading the Black Knights in hitting this season is Erin McClain at .393. The senior also ranks second on the squad in hits, home runs and RBI. In the pitchers' circle, Army has a pair with double-digit wins. Shawna Bleyl leads at 11-4 with a 2.80 ERA, while Jessi Muckelroy is 10-6 with a 3.76 ERA.
Army leads in the all-time series with Bucknell, 37-29. The Bison took three of four games off the Black Knights a year ago, however. Bucknell outscored its opponent 16-8 that weekend.
LOOKING AHEAD
Bucknell will be looking to secure its place in the Patriot League Tournament May 13-15. The tournament, which features the top four teams in the league standings, will take place at the site of the highest seed.
