Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Holy Cross
Bucknell Softball Takes Two Losses at Holy Cross
4/17/2011 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 17, 2011
WORCESTER, Mass. - For the third consecutive year, Bucknell softball split a four-game series with Holy Cross after losing both of Sunday's contests, 4-2 and 2-0, at Freshman Field. The Bison out-hit the Crusaders (14-19, 8-4) in both games, but failed to turn those into runs and saw their record drop to 11-29 overall and 3-9 against Patriot League opponents.
Bucknell saw some of its best offensive opportunities in game one as the visiting team totaled 10 hits. Lauren Fry (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) and Elyse Colmenero (Fresno, Calif./Central) were responsible for most of that as Fry was 4-for-4 at the plate and her teammate finished 3-for-3 with a walk.
In four games against the Crusaders, Fry hit .538 (7-for-13) with four runs scored and four RBI. Colmenero was .500 (6-for-12) at the plate. Only Alison Ford (Suisun City, Calif./Fairfield), who did not play in the series finale, hit better, going .714 (5-for-7) on the weekend.
The two Bison seniors teamed up to give Bucknell its first run of the day after Holy Cross put four unanswered runs on the board in the first three innings. Colmenero singled to left field in the bottom of the third. Sam Rollandi (San Carlos, Calif./Notre Dame Belmont) entered the game to pinch run and immediately put herself in scoring position with a stolen base. Fry continued to move her around the bases with an RBI single to centerfield, and brought their deficit down to three runs.
Bucknell continued to struggle to put runs on the board until the sixth inning when a one-out walk turned into the team's second score after Mary Horton (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) drilled a double to center. Holy Cross changed pitchers after Horton's RBI extra-base hit, and the move paid off as Caitlin Belanger got Jessie Snyder (Tacoma, Wash./Stadium) to line out to end the inning.
After a rocky start, Bridget Gates (Milford, Conn./Academy of Our Lady of Mercy Lauralton Hall) kept the Crusaders within striking distance. The Bison pitcher retired the Crusaders in order in both the sixth and seventh innings. Unfortunately, despite consecutive singles from Colmenero and Fry to lead off the seventh, two strikeouts and a pop out ended the game and Bucknell's hopes of a comeback.
All of Holy Cross' damage was done early on as Belanger tripled in the first at-bat of the game. She scored on a fielder's choice for a 1-0 first-inning lead. Two more runs in the second, although only one of them was earned, made it 3-0 in favor of the Crusaders. Another triple, this time from Erin Fleming, in the top of the third scored the final run for Holy Cross, putting Bucknell in comeback mode for the remainder of the game.
Gates' (5-14) allowed six hits - only two of them after the third inning - resulting in two earned runs. She also struck out five in the complete game. The sophomore's strikeout total brings her to 126 in her career, which is good for 10th in program history.
Kali Haas (5-6) earned the win, allowing two runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings of work. Belanger earned her first save of the season, after 1.1 shutout innings. She gave up two hits and struck out two.
Neither team posted big offensive numbers in the second game of the day, and it was Holy Cross' ability to do more with less that completed Sunday sweep. The Crusaders had a handful of base runners in the first few innings. They had little to show for it, however, until the fourth when Sam Fregenti doubled to lead off the inning. Fleming then reached on an error. An RBI single broke up the shutout, and a bases loaded walk with two outs made it 2-0 before Alex MacLean (Northampton, Pa./Northampton Area) got out of the inning.
Despite MacLean's (6-15) efforts in which she allowed only one earned run on six hits and finished with six strikeouts, the Bison did not provide their pitcher with any run support. The third inning was the only frame when Bucknell had more than one base runner and the only time they put a runner in scoring position. Horton and Snyder led off the inning with back-to-back singles only to be stranded after three straight outs.
MacLean is now up to a team-best 92 strikeouts on the year, tying her total from a season ago, which ranks eighth on Bucknell's single-season record list. The sophomore's 184 career strikeouts is fifth in program history.
Belanger (3-8) earned the win for Holy Cross with her complete game shutout. She gave up seven hits and struck out three in the outing.
Bucknell will have a week off before returning to the field. The Bison will next host Lafayette April 23-24 at Becker Field. Ceremonies recognizing the seniors and the Becker Family will precede Saturday's 1 p.m. doubleheader.
