Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lafayette
Bucknell Softball's Gates Shuts Out Lafayette to Save Split on Senior Day
4/24/2011 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 24, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bridget Gates (Milford, Conn./Academy of Our Lady of Mercy Lauralton Hall) pitched a six-hit shutout and Jessie Snyder (Tacoma, Wash./Stadium) hit 3-for-3 in game two of Bucknell softball's doubleheader with Lafayette, giving the Bison a 1-0 win at Becker Field on Sunday afternoon. The performances gave Bucknell (12-30, 4-10) the split in the first day of play after Lafayette (5-34, 2-12) took the opener 5-4.
After never leading in game one, Bucknell took a 1-0 advantage in the second inning of the day's last contest. Kathryn Wilkinson (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) reached on a fielder's choice and moved to third on a doubled down the right field line from Mary Horton (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas). Snyder then collected her second consecutive single to score Wilkinson for the only run of the day.
Gates' pitching performance let the Bison stay in contention, keeping the Leopards' base runners to a minimum. The sophomore allowed six hits in the game but never more than one per inning. By the time she delivered her final pitch, Gates (6-14) had her third shutout of the season having struck out six batters with only one walk.
Lafayette put runners in scoring position just twice during the game. Lauren Murphy doubled to right center field and Kerry Griffin also advanced to second base with a walk and fielder's choice in the second inning. The third saw Gwen Turner reach second on a sacrifice bunt after singling to lead off the inning. None of the Leopards ever reached third base, however.
Bucknell needed the strong effort from Gates as it struggled to make the most of its scoring opportunities. The Bison left 11 runners on base in game two and 20 over the course of both contests. Bucknell stranded seven on the bases through the first three innings alone, and two of those - Snyder in the first and Alison Ford (Suisun City, Calif./Fairfield) in the third - were left standing on third base.
Snyder finished the nightcap 3-for-3 with a walk, bringing her Sunday average to .800 (4-for-5). She also had a pair of doubles and three walks in the doubleheader. The trio of base-on-balls improves her season total to 20, which is tied for 10th on Bucknell's single-season record list. Heather Rakosik reached a career milestone of her own with her 200th victory. The head coach is now 200-284-3.
Taking the loss for Lafayette in game two was Melissa Robinson. Robinson (4-12) gave up the one run on eight hits in 6.0 innings of work. It was Robinson's second appearance of the day after she earned the win in the first game when she also allowed eight hits.
The Leopards gave the freshman more run support in that contest, however, going up 2-0 through their first three innings. Mary Episcopo led off the game with a single and scored on an RBI single from Stacey Kushner in the first frame. Lauren Hasson then homered in the third to take a two-run lead.
Ford knotted things up in Bucknell's half of the third inning. Lauren Fry (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) reached on a catcher's interference in her second consecutive plate appearance and scored on Ford's shot to left centerfield.
It was Ford's fourth homer of the season and the 14th of her career. Both numbers lead all current Bison.
Even with the burst of offense, Bucknell could not pull in front. The Bison and Leopards went back and forth for the remainder of the game as both teams put up a run in the fourth. Lafayette scored twice in the top of the fifth, although Bucknell got one run back in the bottom of the sixth, the home team fell just short.
Horton's two-out triple resulted in the final run of the day for the Bison thanks to an RBI single from Elyse Colmenero (Fresno, Calif./Central). It was Colmenero's second straight base hit that knocked in a teammate, but she and Snyder, who had reached base on a walk, were left stranded. Bucknell could pull no closer than 5-4.
Joining Colmenero with multiple hits was Sam Rollandi (San Carlos, Calif./Notre Dame Belmont) and Horton, who were both 2-for-3. With hits in both of Sunday's contest, Horton now has a career-best six-game streak. The infielder is batting .421 during that stretch. So far against Lafayette, Horton is 3-for-6 with a double, a triple and one run scored.
Alex MacLean (Northampton, Pa./Northampton Area) took the loss for Bucknell. All five runs were earned and credited to the sophomore who gave up nine hits. She tied a season high with seven strikeouts, bringing her season total to 99, which ranks sixth in program annals. She is also at 191 strikeouts for her career.
Bucknell and Lafayette will square off again tomorrow thanks to yesterday's rainout. The doubleheader is set for a 12:15 p.m. start at Becker Field.
