Bucknell University
Lafayette
Bucknell Softball Sweeps Lafayette with 4-0 & 8-3 Sunday Wins
4/14/2013 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 14, 2013
| BUY PHOTOS
LEWISBURG, Pa. - With another 4-0 win and an 8-3 victory in the series finale against Lafayette at Becker Field on Sunday, Bucknell softball claimed its first sweep since the 2005 season. Amanda Fazio made her second straight appearance without allowing a run and Mariah Midyette was an offensive leader in the nightcap, connecting for her third home run of the season. The Bison's push brings their record to 13-24 overall and evens their Patriot League mark at 6-6 on the year.
After pitching a one-hit shutout in yesterday's opener, Fazio returned to the pitchers' circle in Sunday's game one and was equally effective. The freshman combined with Cindy Cherness for the third shutout of the series in the 4-0 victory. Fazio (8-12) went 5.1 innings and allowed four hits. She also struck out two and walked one. Cherness finished the final 1.2 frames without allowing a hit or a walk.
Fazio finished the weekend with a 2-0 record and a 0.00 ERA. Opponents hit just .128 against her in her two appearances. As a staff, Bucknell's pitchers posted a 0.25 ERA against Lafayette.
Only one Leopard advanced to scoring position in the opener. Madeline Allen made it to second base in the third inning after drawing the only walk of the contest, but could not get any farther. It wasn't until the fourth inning of game two that Lafayette (8-29, 2-10 PL) made it as far as third base. Jordan Parsons was stranded on third in that frame, but the Leopards put their first run on the board in the top of the fifth. Victoria Vergona drove in a run and two more scored on a sky-high popup to avoid a fourth consecutive shutout.
By the time Lafayette got on the board, Bucknell had already secured the series win and had a 5-0 lead in game two. Erin Cox opened the Bison scoring in the second with a leadoff home run. The next run to cross the plate was also a homer, this one off the bat of Midyette in the fourth inning. Eight Bison went to the plate in the fourth and four ended up scoring.
Colie Escobar and Cheyanna Young followed Midyette with base hits, knocking pitcher Bryn Gornick out of the game. Both Bison later scored on a double from Mary Horton. Tori Robinson also drove in a run with a well-placed ground out, allowing Courtney Conover to score.
Although Lafayette put up three runs in the fifth, Bucknell was never really in any danger of losing its sweep. The Bison added another run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to keep their lead in a comfortable range.
At the end of game two, Midyette had a 2-for-3 performance at the plate under her belt. The freshman also had two RBI and one run scored. Cydnee Sanders had a multi-hit game as well, going 2-for-4 with two singles, while Horton was 2-for-4 with two RBI and Young was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
The well-rounded offensive attack helped Bucknell to its first Patriot League sweep since winning four straight against Holy Cross in the 2005 season. The Bison went 8-10 in conference play that year.
Earning the pitching win for Bucknell in game two was Dana Nielsen. The freshman improved to 5-11 on the year after allowing one earned run on five hits. She also struck out seven and walked two in 5.0 innings. Through two appearances this weekend, Nielsen totaled 19 punchouts, allowed just two base-on-balls and registered a 0.58 ERA.
Cherness and Bridget Gates each pitched 1.0 innings to finish the game. Cherness allowed one hit. Both struck out one and Gates retired the side in order in the seventh inning.
The possibility of a sweep obviously would not have been possible if not for the day's opening win. In addition to the defensive effort, Bucknell also got some strong performances offensively up and down the lineup. Kristen Zahn finished the game 2-for-2 with a run scored.
Zahn and Sanders both came home on Midyette's sacrifice fly in the fifth inning to cap off the team's scoring. The first two runs of the day, both unearned, came in the second. Midyette had reached on a throwing error and scored on a single to left center field from Young. Conover later doubled off the base of the outfield wall, bringing Young home for the 2-0 lead. At the end of the game, six different Bison had at least one hit and four different players had scored.
The pitchers of decision for Lafayette were Melissa Robinson in game one and Gornick in game two. Robinson (6-14) allowed two earned runs on seven hits. She struck out one and walked three, including two in the first inning. Gornick (2-10) allowed four earned runs on seven hits in 3.1 innings. Kaitlin Perrine finished the game, allowing three earned runs on four hits in 2.2 innings.
Bucknell will take on Saint Francis (Pa.) in its next outing. The Bison will head to Loretto, Pa., for the doubleheader, scheduled for 3 p.m. on Tuesday. They will then return to Patriot League action next weekend at Army.
