Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Army
Bucknell Softball Advances to Patriot League Championship with 2-1 Upset Over Army
5/14/2010 8:00:00 AM | Softball
May 14, 2010
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Third-seeded Bucknell softball again stumbled in the late innings, but the hiccup against top-seeded Army was not as costly in the second game of the day as the Bison defeated the Black Knights 2-1 at the Army Softball Complex on Friday evening. The victory sends Bucknell (26-18-1) to the Patriot League Championship looking for its second title in program history. The Bison will face Colgate at 12 p.m. tomorrow.
Bucknell's first and only Patriot League Championship came in 1997. The third seed in this year's tournament, the Bison will face the No. 4 Raiders, marking the first time in at least 10 years the bottom two seeds have advanced to the championship game. Bucknell knocked out No. 1 Army with its latest victory, while Army eliminated No. 2 Lehigh in the Friday's second contest.
The meeting between Bucknell and Army turned out to be a defensive showcase. Lauren Fry (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) made an impressive diving catch in center field in the second inning, and second baseman Jessie Snyder (Tacoma, Wash./Stadium) made several strong plays up the middle. That defensive effort helped pitcher Alex MacLean (Northampton, Pa./Northampton Area) take a no-hitter into the fifth inning.
Army finally put a runner on base in the fifth inning with a double from Alexis AuBuchon. That hit resulted in an unearned run, but only brought the Black Knights to within 2-1.
Bucknell claimed its first run off Beverly Nordin in the third after Jane Messersmith (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor) doubled off the base of the wall in left center to lead off the inning. She advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Jessie Snyder (Tacoma, Wash./Stadium), then scored on an RBI single off the bat of Alyssa Okita (Davis, Calif./Davis).
The fourth inning proved to be successful for the Bison as well. The team's second run was also a result of a double off the wall, as Elyse Colmenero (Fresno, Calif./Central) just missed a home run to right field but had to settle for two bases. She then scored what turned out to be game-winner as Messersmith singled through the left side.
The fifth-inning hiccup was just that. MacLean composed herself down the stretch, facing just six batters in the final two innings. Overall, the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year faced 23 batters in 7.0 innings, getting the win and improving her record to 11-5 on the season. She allowed just one hit and did not give up an earned run while striking out five, including AuBuchon to collect the final out and send Bucknell to its first championship in 14 years.
Nordin took the loss for the Black Knights, allowing two runs on three hits in 3.0 innings pitched. She also struck out one and walked one in the outing before handing the ball over to Shawna Bleyl. Bleyl gave up two hits in 3.0 innings of relief.
Offensively, Messersmith was 2-for-2 with one run and one RBI. Fry was 1-for-3, and Colmenero finished 1-for-2 with a run.
In Bucknell's first game of the day, the team was defeated by Colgate 5-4 in eight innings. The Bison will have an opportunity for redemption in the championship game tomorrow at 12 p.m.
