Bucknell University Athletics
Full Spring Break Schedule Awaits Bucknell Softball in Virginia, Florida
3/10/2011 7:00:00 AM | Softball
March 10, 2011
Live Stats on GameTracker at Rebel Spring Games 
vs. Butler (March 15, 9 a.m.)
vs. Columbia (March 15, 11 a.m.)
vs. Akron (March 16, 3 p.m.)
vs. St. Peter's (March 16, 5 p.m.)
vs. Green Bay (March 18, 11 a.m.)
vs. Youngstown State (March 18, 3 p.m.)
vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (March 19, 9 a.m.)
vs. Hartford (March 19, 1 p.m.)
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell softball is getting a breather from classes, but Spring Break means plenty of action on the field when the Bison head to Fairfax, Va., for the George Mason Invitational March 11-13. After facing the Patriots, Cornell and Binghamton in Virginia, Bucknell will head to the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla., to face eight new opponents March 16-19. Live stats will be available for all of Bucknell's contests at the Rebel Spring Games.
Please note that Bucknell's Friday game schedule has changed for the George Mason Invitational. The Bison will now play Binghamton at 4:30 p.m. The rest of the schedule remains unchanged.
ABOUT THE BISON
- Bucknell went 0-4 at the Longwood Classic two weeks ago, falling to Stony Brook, Longwood and Quinnipiac twice. The Bison were outscored 20-7 at the tournament.
- Bucknell's closest call at the Longwood Classic came in the first game against Quinnipiac when it fell 5-4 in extra innings. The Bison led 4-0 after two innings, but the Bobcats clawed their way back in and eventually scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth. They did not record a hit in the inning.
- Alison Ford (Suisun City, Calif./Fairfield) started to find her swing on the final day of play at Longwood. After earning just one hit in Bucknell's first seven games, the senior connected for 5-for-7 in the final two contests. Ford is now hitting .231 (6-26) this season after hitting .053 prior to Feb. 26.
- Like Ford, Elyse Colmenero (Fresno, Calif./Central) showed flashes of a renewed bat at Longwood. On the first day of play, the senior hit 3-for-6 with two doubles and three RBI in contests against Stony Brook and Quinnipiac. The performance improved her batting average to .286.
- Heather Rakosik coached in her 300th game at the helm of the Orange and Blue at last month's Longwood Classic. In six years at Bucknell, Rakosik is 117-181-2. She ranks second in games coached behind Terrie Grieb's 633.
- With 13 games scheduled for the next week, several Bison have a chance at moving up the record books in the near future. Looking to crack the career top-10 lists are Jessie Snyder (Tacoma, Wash./Stadium) in games played (155), Lauren Fry (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) in hits (139) and Colmenero in doubles (25). Fry's name can already be found among the leaders in several other categories, but the senior needs three more runs (95) for fourth and one more double (29) for sixth all-time in program history. Alex MacLean (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) would take over ninth in career strikeouts with 12 more.
- Colmenero seems to be returning to her old ways. After connecting for 11 doubles as a freshman, Colmenero hit four as a sophomore and six last season as a junior. Now just nine games into her senior campaign, the catcher has four doubles to lead the team. The only other Bison to date with extra-base hits are Sam Rollandi (San Carlos, Calif./Notre Dame Belmont), with a triple and Snyder and Fry with a double apiece.
- Bucknell has added to its Student-Athlete Journal series. Be sure to check out BucknellBison.com to hear about Alicia Wheeler's (Scottsdale, Ariz./Paradise Valley) experience in Spain and what it taught her about women in sports.
ABOUT THE GEORGE MASON INVITE
- George Mason (March 13, 1:30 p.m.): The Patriots are 5-4 on the season, including 3-2 in their last five games. Infielders Tori Dudley and Reagan Doiron are both hitting better than .300 in the early goings, while junior pitcher Miranda Cranford is 2-0 with a 0.58 ERA in two appearances. George Mason leads in the series with Bucknell, 9-4, but the Bison won their last meeting by a score of 6-3. Recent Bison graduate Mary Pavlovich connected on a three-run homer in the seventh to give Bucknell the come-back victory in its season opener.
- Cornell (March 12, 12:15 p.m.; March 13, 9 a.m.): The Big Red has played just twice this spring after half of the George Mason-Patriot Classic was canceled. At 1-1, they have a win over Rider (4-0) and a loss to George Mason (2-1). Back for her senior campaign is pitcher Elizabeth Dalrymple, who 21-6 with a 2.14 ERA a year ago. This season, she took a loss in her only appearance and has a 1.05 ERA in her complete game. Cornell has a 6-2 advantage in the series with Bucknell. The teams played twice at last year's George Mason Invitational, and the Big Red took the win on both occasions, 10-6 and 6-1.
- Binghamton (March 11, 4:30 p.m.; March 12, 2:30 p.m.): The Bearcats are 2-2 this year with wins over Elon (2-0) and Tennessee State (4-2) at the Stetson Tournament. Sophomore outfielder Jessica Phillips has the early lead in batting average with a .545 (6-11) mark, two home runs, four RBI and a 1.182 slugging percentage. Phillips was named All-Region and the America East Rookie of the Year last season. Bucknell and Binghamton are even, 1-1, in the all-time series. When they last met at the 2006 Rebel Spring Games in Florida, the Bison came away with a 6-4 victory after posting five runs on four hits in the seventh inning. Pinch hitter Meghan Feller drilled a two-RBI double to bring home the winning run.
ABOUT THE REBEL SPRING GAMES
- Butler (March 15, 9 a.m.): The Bulldogs opened their spring with a 2-5 record having won over Louisiana Tech (5-3) and Appalachian State (5-0) in their last four games. Butler returns two of its three 2010 All-Horizon League selections, including Jenny Esparza. Esparza was named to the first team and the All-Newcomer Team after setting single-season school records in wins (17) and strikeouts (272). As a freshman, she finished with a 1.28 ERA and allowed opponents to hit just .143 against her. Bucknell fell to 7-1 in the series against Butler in an extra-inning loss at the 2009 Rebel Spring Games. Butler recorded an RBI single in the eighth to steal a 7-6 win.
- Columbia (March 15, 11 a.m.): The Lions are winless in their first five games of the season, falling in each of their games at the USF Under Armour Invitational. Despite being 0-3 this season, Maggie Johnson has a solid 1.05 ERA in her four appearances. Johnson was named Second Team All-Ivy League a year ago while becoming Columbia's all-time leader in home runs. First team honoree Kayla Lechler is also back for another spring after setting single-season records in batting average (.368), runs (37) and total bases (79). Columbia has a 7-2 lead in the series with Bucknell. The Lions took a 3-2 win at the 2009 Rebel Spring Games despite back-to-back RBI doubles from Ford and Alyssa Okita in the sixth inning that fell just short of a comeback bid.
- Akron (March 16, 3 p.m.): The Zips are an even 6-6 this spring but have lost each of their last three. Senior third baseman Alex Feltes is hitting an impressive .439 (18-41), and close behind is classmate Sara Earley, who is .414 (12-29) at the plate. In the pitchers' circle, Heather Bauer comes in with a 3-2 record and a 2.59 ERA in five appearances. The meeting on March 16 between Bucknell and Akron will be the first in program history.
- St. Peter's (March 16, 5 p.m.): The Peacocks will open their 2011 season at the Rebel Spring Games. St. Peter's closed out last season with a 2-36 record and went winless in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. As a team, the Peacocks hit .186 with 55 RBI, while opponents went .391 with 290 RBI at the plate. The team ERA was equally disappointing at 8.57 with opposing pitchers at 1.47. Bucknell leads in the series with St. Peter's, 2-1. The teams last met at the 2001 Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. The Bison won both contests, 5-2 and 4-1, after a pair of quick starts. Most of Bucknell's runs came in the first inning in both games.
- Green Bay (March 18, 11 a.m.): The Phoenix started the season 1-3 but will have six games before heading to Kissimmee. Their lone win to date was a 3-0 shutout against South Dakota. Current senior Katie Cooney was named First Team All-Horizon League after batting .368. Also returning in 2011 is Danielle Peerenboom, who was named to the All-Newcomer Team after going .328 with a single-season-record 10 home runs last season. Bucknell has been unable to beat Green Bay in its three previous attempts. Their last meeting came in 2007 when the Phoenix snuck out a 10-9 win in eight innings. Bucknell scored on an RBI single in the top of the eighth, but Green Bay tagged on a pair of unearned runs in the bottom half of the inning to earn the victory. The two squads combined for 29 hits in the contest.
- Youngstown State (March 18, 3 p.m.): The Penguins opened their 2011 campaign with a 5-3 record that includes wins over Delaware State (3-2), Siena (8-0) and South Carolina State (9-1) in their last three outings. Senior infielder Kristina Rendle is leading the team in batting average at .375. Vicky Rumph, who was named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team last season, is hitting .333 with two home runs this spring. Youngstown State had the final word in its last matchup with Bucknell, but the Bison still hold a 4-3 series advantage. When they met at the 2003 Rebel Spring Games, the Penguins won 4-2 despite a late push from the Bison. Bucknell tied the game in the top of the fifth inning with a two-RBI double from Jill Pompeii, but Youngstown State scored again in the bottom of the fifth and sixth to hang on.
- Fairleigh Dickinson (March 19, 9 a.m.): The Knights are 5-2 through the first portion of play with wins against Morgan State (10-2), Norfolk State (3-2), George Washington (7-5), Marist (8-6) and Maryland-Eastern Shore (11-2). Eight players are hitting better than .300. Sophomore Mikayla Fernandez leads the bunch with a .476 (10-21) average, and the Knights are hitting .337 as a team. The Knights-Bison series is tied at 1-1. When the teams met in 2006, Bucknell took a 9-1 victory in five innings. The Bison scored five runs in the fifth to end the game early.
- Hartford (March 19, 1 p.m.): The Hawks have played just twice, falling to Manhattan in both games, 10-2 and 9-1. Hartford is just .189 at the plate, compared to .381 for its opponents. Their team ERA is also 12.12 through their first contests. One of the Hawks' three All-Horizon League players returns in 2011. Sophomore pitcher/designated player Nicole Springer was named to the First Team and All-Newcomer Team last season after hitting .325 with a team-best 34 RBI. Her 14 doubles also tied a single-season school record. The meeting on March 19 between Bucknell and Hartford will be the first in program history.
LOOKING AHEAD
Bucknell will return north for the Mount St. Mary's Tournament in Emmitsburg, Md., March 26-27. The Bison will take on the host school and get another run at Cornell in the four-game event.
