April 5, 2010
Live Stats:
Game 1 at Mount St. Mary's (Tuesday, April 6)
Game 2 at Mount St. Mary's (Tuesday, April 6)
Game 1 at Lafayette (Saturday, April 10) 
Game 2 at Lafayette (Saturday, April 10)
Game 3 at Lafayette (Sunday, April 11)
Game 4 at Lafayette (Sunday, April 11)
Live Video:
Game 3 at Lafayette (Sunday, April 11) 
Game 4 at Lafayette (Sunday, April 11)
LEWISBURG, Pa. – With the first weekend of league play under its belt, Bucknell softball will look to improve its position in the standings with a four-game series at Lafayette this weekend. Before they can get to the Leopards, however, the Bison (10-10, 2-2) will face off against Mount St. Mary's in a mid-week doubleheader at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Emmitsburg, Md. Live stats will be available for all six games, while Sunday's contests with Lafayette in Easton, Pa., can be seen live on Bison Vision.
ABOUT THE BISON
Bucknell went 3-3 last week, splitting a mid-week doubleheader at Drexel before sharing single-day sweeps against Holy Cross during the Patriot League's opening weekend. The Bison played a pair of close ones against the Dragons, falling 3-1 in game one before winning 3-2 in nine innings in game two. Bucknell then won convincingly against Holy Cross on Saturday, 8-0 in five innings and 8-1. The Crusaders were the victors on Sunday, however, 2-1 in eight innings and 5-4.
Bucknell fell victim to a new Patriot League rule that allows the visiting team bat last during Sunday's doubleheader. The Bison twice came back from one-run deficits to either tie or pull ahead of the Crusaders late in the game, only to be shot back down by a pair of Holy Cross walk-off hits in the end.
After Saturday's action, Bucknell had earned a three-game winning streak. The last time the Bison won three in a row was in February of 2009 with a victory over St. Joseph's and two over North Carolina Central. Bucknell has not won four or more consecutively since the end of the 2008 season when it took seven straight decisions.
Bucknell's young pitching staff – consisting of sophomores Jane Messersmith (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor) and Liz Fanning (Ventura, Calif./St. Bonaventure HS) and freshmen Bridget Gates (Milford, Conn./Academy of Our Lady of Mercy Lauralton Hall) and Alex McLean (Northampton, Pa./Northampton Area) is doing its best to make a name for itself. Despite their limited experience in the Orange and Blue, all four pitchers rank among the top 10 in the Patriot League in runs and earned runs allowed. Fanning, Messersmith and MacLean also are 1-2-3 among league pitchers in hits allowed.
Alison Ford (Suisun City, Calif./Fairfield) hit her first home run of the season in the Bison's win over Drexel last Wednesday. The shot gives the junior eight in her career, placing her in sole possession of ninth place on Bucknell's record lists.
Gates is also trying to put her name in the record books. The freshman pitcher recorded her second shutout of the season with Bucknell's 8-0, five-inning victory over Holy Cross on Saturday. One more shutout will tie Gates for 10th on the single-season list.
Heather Rakosik is looking for a milestone of her own. The head coach is 98-163-1 in her career at Bucknell and is on the verge of becoming just the second Bison softball coach to reach 100 wins in the Orange and Blue.
With 20 games in the ledger and 22 remaining on the schedule, Lauren Fry (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) is still batting better than .400. After going 5-for-12 (.417) against Holy Cross, the junior outfielder brought her season average to .404, good for fifth in the Patriot League. Shelly McCormack (Humble, Texas/Kingwood) is also among the league's top batters, coming in at .390 for eighth in the rankings.
ABOUT THE MOUNTAINEERS
Mount St. Mary's is 18-11 overall and 3-1 in the Northeast Conference. The Mountaineers have won six of their last seven games, outscoring their opponents 42-20 during that stretch. Most recently, they split a doubleheader with Central Connecticut State on Sunday, dropping the opener 9-1 in six innings before winning the nightcap 12-1.
The Mountaineers have already equaled their win total from a year ago. At the end of the 2009 campaign, Mount St. Mary's had posted an 18-30 record while finishing third in the NEC with a 10-8 tally.
This season, the Mountaineers have several players batting better than .300, including Liz Christiansen at .398 (35-88). She also holds the team lead in RBI with 31, shares the lead in home runs with seven and has totaled seven doubles through the first half of the season. In the circle, Amanda Sadowl is 8-5 with a 3.63 ERA while posting 10 complete games and four shutouts. Nicole Pagano and Amanda Hanson have combined for a 10-5 record and two shutouts.
Bucknell leads the all-time series by a 20-7 count. The Bison split with the Mountaineers in their last meeting in 2004. Mount St. Mary's won the first game 8-3, while Bucknell won its final home game of the season 6-1 in the finale. Angela Stackhouse set the single-season school record in that series, recording her 35th RBI.
ABOUT THE LEOPARDS
Lafayette enters the week at 9-14 overall and 0-4 in the Patriot League after being swept by Army in the first weekend of league play. The Leopards twice had an opening to at least split with the Black Knights as the first and fourth games of the series were decided by a single run. Lafayette has now lost five of its last six games but will have ample opportunity to turn around its fortunes before facing Bucknell. The Leopards will take on Stony Brook on the road on Tuesday before hosting Drexel for a home doubleheader on Wednesday.
Lafayette finished the 2009 campaign in strong fashion, finishing second to perennial favorite Lehigh at the Patriot League Tournament. The Leopards also placed two players on all-league teams and three on the all-tournament team. Among those was Christina Giambrone who was named the Patriot League Player of the Year before going on to earn a spot on the Mid-Atlantic Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-Region Team.
Giambrone is leading the team offensively this year as well with a .378 batting average (14-37) and two home runs. Kasey Karr is giving her teammate a run for her money, hitting .333 (25-75) with six home runs and 13 RBI. She also is the Leopards' top pitcher, finishing last week with a 7-7 record and an ERA of 4.25 and a dozen complete games. No other Lafayette pitcher has posted a complete game, and earned run average below 5.00 or more than one win.
Bucknell has a 56-33-1 edge over Lafayette in the all-time series, which began in 1979. Lafayette had the final word last season, however. After splitting on the Bison's home field during the regular season, the Leopards earned a 4-1 win to knock Bucknell out of the Patriot League Tournament. During the regular-season matchup, Fry hit 6-for-12 with a home run and three doubles over four games. It was the Leopards' Karr that shined in the postseason meeting, giving up just four hits and striking out seven.
LOOKING AHEAD
Bucknell will stay on the road for its midweek game, taking on Saint Francis (Pa.) on Thursday, April 15. The doubleheader in Loretto is set for 3 p.m. The Bison will then host Colgate April 17-18.
