Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Holy Cross
Softball Reaches 30 Wins for First Time in School History
4/25/2015 6:58:00 PM | Softball
WORCESTER, Mass. – Bucknell softball ran its winning streak to 11 games with a doubleheader sweep at Patriot League foe Holy Cross on Saturday. The Bison received quality pitching performances in both games, winning 5-2 in the opener and 3-0 in the second game.
Bucknell improved to 30-17 overall and 9-5 in the Patriot League, while Holy Cross dropped to 7-16 overall and 5-9 in the conference. The Bison moved into a tie for second place with Colgate, which lost a pair of games to Army on Saturday. The Raiders hold the tiebreaker over the Bison with two wins in the three-game series earlier this season.
It is the first time in school history that the Bison have reached 30 wins in a season. The 11-game winning streak matches the program record set by the 1988 team. The Bison started that season 11-0 and went on to finish 24-9.
Jacee Almond extended her hitting streak to 13 games with two hits in game one and one in game two.
Bucknell and Holy Cross will conclude the series with a game at noon on Sunday.
Game 1 – Bucknell 5, Holy Cross 2
Dana Nielsen has posted a win in seven straight appearances in the circle after going the distance in Bucknell's 5-2 victory in game one. She went all seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and one walk. She struck out one batter and upped her season record to 12-4.
Kristen Zahn led Bucknell offensively with a perfect 4-for-4 showing and three RBIs. Almond had the team's lone extra-base hit with a double and added a single. Amanda Fazio, Cydnee Sanders, Erin Cox, Chaylen Andolino and Carolyn Wan had one single apiece.
Bucknell broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the top of the third inning and never relinquished the lead. Sanders drove in one run with a single to left field, and Zahn followed with a two-run single.
Abigail Lang paced Holy Cross with a pair of hits. She led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a solo home run, her first of the season.
Game 2 – Bucknell 3, Holy Cross 0
Fazio recorded her second shutout of the season as the Bison swept the doubleheader with a 3-0 win in game two. The junior gave up six hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out six to improve to 15-9 on the season.
Zahn helped the Bison get on the board first with an RBI double in the first inning. Sanders, who reached on a fielder's choice following a single by Almond, scored on the play.
The Bison tallied their second run of the game in the fourth inning. Meghan Kovac, the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Week, led off with a double. Paulina Gutkin came in to pinch-run and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Christina Martinez.
The final run was scored in the sixth inning when Sanders came all the way around from first base on a throwing error following a sacrifice bunt attempt by Zahn.
The Bison had six hits in the game, including two by Sanders. Almond, Zahn, Kovac, and Martinez had one apiece.
