Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Softball Hosts Lafayette, Senior Day in Final Patriot League Home Series
4/12/2013 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 12, 2013
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell softball will try to make up some ground in the Patriot League standings when it hosts Lafayette in a pair of doubleheaders this weekend at Becker Field. First pitch on both Saturday and Sunday is set for noon, with Saturday's action being preceded by Senior Day festivities. The Bison will also hold a number of contests for fans with gift certificates to local restaurants as prizes. GameTracker for all four games will be available at BucknellBison.com and Sunday's twinbill will broadcast live on SportsJuice.com.
Bucknell (8-25, 2-6 PL) split back-to-back doubleheaders last weekend against La Salle and day one at Colgate. Although the Bison went 1-3 in the series against the Raiders, they did show some signs of hitting power. Tori Robinson recorded her first career home run and Colie Escobar connected for two at Colgate, making her the first Bison since 2011 to hit two homers in the same series. Alison Ford was the last to achieve the feat, drilling two shots to left center field on the first day of the series vs. Lehigh.
As a team, Bucknell hit .306 at Colgate compare to .271 for the Raiders. Power hitting was not limited to the Bison, however, as the teams combined for seven home runs and nine doubles in the four-game series.
After two weekends of Patriot League action, Bucknell ranks second in conference play in batting average (.263). Cheyanna Young is tied for eighth in the league in batting with a .375 average. Of the top 10 in that category, eight are freshmen. Young is also fifth in on-base percentage (.524), while Escobar is first in home runs (3) and slugging percentage (.850).
Although not among the top 10 in any individual categories just yet, Erin Cox and Mary Horton made an upward move last week. Both enter the weekend with six-game hitting streaks, the longest of the season for any Bucknell payer. In six games last week, both hit .400 (8-20). Cox also had three runs scored, six RBI and a home run. Horton tallied four runs scored to go along with two doubles and three walks.
Horton will be one of five seniors recognized on Saturday joining Bridget Gates, Cassie Greenhawk, Alex MacLean and Laura Sandford. The quintet were among those who helped Bucknell to its second-ever Patriot League Championship and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2010. While all five have been named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll or Bucknell Dean's List at least once in their career, Horton and MacLean have added some on-field honors to their resumes as well. MacLean was the 2010 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, the same season she was also voted a Second Team All-League winner and the Patriot League Tournament MVP. More recently, Horton was a First Team All-Patriot League selection last spring and started her senior campaign on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
The 2013 senior class is 6-6 all-time against Lafayette. The two teams split the four-game series a year ago in a low-scoring affair. They combined for just four runs each on the weekend and three games ended in shutouts. Two of those went Bucknell's way, as the Bison won game two each day, 2-0 and 1-0. MacLean pitched a three-hit shutout with nine strikeouts for the first win, and Cox hit 3-for-3 with two doubles and the lone in the second victory.
Bucknell leads the all-time series with Lafayette, 62-39-1. The last time the Bison won a weekend tilt was in 2010 when they took three of four off the Leopards in Easton, Pa.
This season Lafayette is 8-25 overall and 2-6 in the Patriot League having lost each of their last six outings. Four of those came with Brittany Spencer at the helm after she was named the interim head coach on Monday. In Patriot League play, the Leopards won one game apiece off Holy Cross and Lehigh. They were outscored by the Mountain Hawks by a combined score of 21-4. The series against the Crusaders was much more even at 25-16 with that count being skewed by a 10-1 loss on Sunday.
The Leopards, which were selected one spot ahead of Bucknell in the Patriot League Preseason Poll in fourth, return one of their three All-Patriot League players from last season. Melissa Robinson is back leading the team in ERA (3.90) and wins (6-13). She also has one shutout and 68 strikeouts in the pitchers' circle. Offensively, the junior is third on the team in batting average (.222), but leads the squad in runs (14) and RBI (13). As a team, Lafayette is hitting nearly 100 points lower than its opponents, .209 to .305. Its ERA for the season stands at 5.20, compared to 1.97 for opposing pitchers.
The meeting with Lafayette is Bucknell's last at home against a Patriot League opponent, although there is still plenty of action left in the season. After hitting the road for Saint Francis (Pa.) on April 17 and Army April 20-21, the Bison will play their final home series in a rematch with the Red Flash on April 24 at Becker Field. The regular season will conclude at Holy Cross April 27-28.
