Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Softball Hosts Lafayette with Senior Day, Becker Field Dedication this Weekend
4/22/2011 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 22, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell softball resumes its Patriot League play at home this weekend, hosting Lafayette at Becker Field during what promises to be an eventful homestand. Prior to Saturday's doubleheader, the Bison (11-29, 3-11) will celebrate Senior Day and hold the official dedication of the updated Becker Field. The games, which are set for a 1 p.m. start on Saturday, will also air on the radio on WVBU 90.5FM and online at SportsJuice.com. Action continues at noon on Sunday.
ABOUT THE BISON
- Bucknell will recognize six seniors – Elyse Colmenero (Fresno, Calif./Central), Alison Ford (Suisun City, Calif./Fairfield), Lauren Fry (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield), Sam Rollandi (San Carlos, Calif./Notre Dame Belmont), Jessie Snyder (Tacoma, Wash./Stadium) and Kara Sullivan (Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River) – prior to Saturday's twinbill against Lafayette. Although their careers are not yet over, the group of veterans has posted an 81-191-1 overall record and is 36-36 in the Patriot League during their time as Bison. Last season, they led the Orange and Blue to a Patriot League Championship and the team's first-ever trip to the NCAA Regional Tournament.
- During the summer of 2010, Charles & Karen Becker Field received new brick dugouts and backstop as well as a new sod playing surface. The facility will be officially renamed in a dedication ceremony prior to Saturday's games in honor of Dawn Becker's parents. Inducted into the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997, Becker graduated in 1985 and still ranks among the Bucknell leaders in career wins, shutouts and ERA.
- Bucknell went 3-3 last week, splitting a doubleheader against Saint Francis (Pa.) and a four-game series at Holy Cross. Ford hit .571 with two doubles, seven RBI and a grand slam in five games. Fry (.450) and Colmenero (.412) also hit better than .400 during that stretch and combined for four extra-base hits.
- All seven of Ford's RBI last week came in a single game. In the first game against Holy Cross, the senior hit 3-for-3 with a walk and her second career grand slam. The Bison beat the Crusaders 14-6 in five innings in that contest. By the end of the week, Ford had improved her season batting average to .412.
- Alex MacLean (Northampton, Pa./Northampton Area) was named the Patriot League Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday. The sophomore finished the voting period 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA. She struck out 15 batters in her three appearances. It was MacLean's first award from the league this season and the second of the year for the Bison. Bridget Gates (Milford, Conn./Academy of Our Lady of Mercy Lauralton Hall) was named the Pitcher of the Week on March 14.
- Ford leads all Patriot League players with a .500 (16-for-32) batting average in league play. She is not the only Bison to put up strong numbers against Patriot League opponents, however, as Mary Horton (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) is .406 (13-for-32) at the plate. Fry is also hitting .385 (15-for-39).
- Horton is currently working a four-game hitting streak after going 50for-13 (.385) at Holy Cross last weekend. That equals the sophomore's season-best streak and is one shy of her career best. Horton hit safely in five straight games in March of last year, going 6-for-14 (.429) at the plate at Coppin State and Drexel.
- Caryn Connors (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township) scored in each of her last three appearances as a pinch runner last week. The freshman scored Bucknell's first run in a 6-5 win over Saint Francis. She then became one of five Bison to cross the plate in their second-inning barrage during the mercy-rule win at Holy Cross and capped off the scoring the next day in Bucknell's 4-2 loss to the Crusaders.
- Fry finished game three at Holy Cross a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate. That pushed her above .300 for the first time this season. The senior also hit better than .300 during her freshman and junior campaigns.
- Bucknell is on the record watch for career RBI and runs. With 93 runs batted in for her career, Ford is four shy of moving into second all-time at Bucknell. The record of 107 is held by Lauren Litts. Fry, who needs two RBI to crack the career top-10 list, is looking to take sole possession of second in career runs scored and it shouldn't be too difficult to achieve. Fry has 111 runs, which is tied with Bucknell Athletics Hall of Famer Jen Yuengling. Another Hall of Famer, Lisa Fink, holds the record at 146.
ABOUT THE LEOPARDS
- After splitting with St. Peter's on Wednesday, Lafayette is 4-33 overall this year under first-year head coach Meaghan Asselta. The Leopards opened their Patriot League schedule with 11 straight losses before getting 1-11 with a two-run shutout against Army last weekend.
- Of Lafayette's 12 Patriot League games, six of them have ended with the Leopards on the losing side after just five innings. Lafayette had a particularly difficult time at Lehigh. After losing 1-0 in the opener, the Leopards lost 10-0, 13-0 and 9-0 to the Mountain Hawks in shortened games.
- The Leopards have five players batting better than .300 this season. At the top of that list is Stacey Dorn at .351 (20-for-57). Also on that list is Stacey Kushner, who is hitting .301 (28-for-93) with a team-best seven doubles, four home runs and 18 RBI. Melissa Robinson is the only Lafayette pitcher with an ERA of less than 7.00. The freshman enters the weekend with an earned run average of 3.20 and at 3-11, has pitched all but one of the team's victories.
- In 2010, Lafayette finished 15-33 overall and 4-16 in the Patriot League to place sixth in the regular-season standings. Recent graduate Kasey Karr was the lone Leopard to garner Patriot League honors, earning a spot on the first team.
- Bucknell leads Lafayette in the all-time series, 59-34-1. The Bison took three games off the Leopards last season. After winning the first two games 6-5 and 9-1 (5 inn.), Bucknell lost the third 5-4. Both teams remained scoreless until the fifth inning when they both put four runs on the board. Lafayette took the victory with a run in the top of the seventh. Bucknell bounced back in the finale for a 3-1 win thanks to a two-out two-RBI double from Snyder that scored the go-ahead run in the fourth.
LOOKING AHEAD
Bucknell has just two more series on the schedule before the start of the Patriot League Tournament. First up is a two-game affair at La Salle on April 27, followed by four games at Army April 30-May 1. When Bucknell and La Salle squared off last season, the Bison claimed their first-ever win against the Explorers, and MacLean threw a no-hitter in a 0-0 tie as the game was called after five innings due to lightning.
