Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lehigh
Bison Back in Championship Round with 4-1 Win Over Colgate
5/8/2015 8:08:00 PM | Softball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Bucknell softball is back in the championship round of the Patriot League Tournament thanks to a 4-1 win over third-seeded Colgate in an elimination game on Friday at Lehigh's Leadership Park. The Bison lost to top-seeded Lehigh 5-4 earlier in the day, but stayed alive with the win over the Raiders.
Amanda Fazio went the distance in both games on Friday, helping second-seeded Bucknell improve to 35-19 overall with the victory in the second game. The Bison will need to beat Lehigh twice on Saturday to win the Patriot League title and an automatic berth into the NCAA Regional.
Colgate closed its season at 17-10. After losing two of three to the Raiders in the regular season, the Bison defeated them twice in the postseason tournament. The Raiders had beaten fourth-seeded Army West Point 4-2 earlier in the day.
Bucknell 4, Colgate 1
Fazio won her 19th game of the season, giving up just one run on five hits and one walk, while striking out nine batters. She also had one of the team's six hits.
Bucknell took advantage of four Colgate errors to score three unearned runs. Cydnee Sanders, Meghan Kovac, Erin Cox, Mariah Midyette and Maddie Minneci all had hits in the game. Kovac's was an RBI double, Sanders had a double, and Christina Martinez plated a run with an RBI groundout.
Colgate leadoff hitter Katie Bushee had three hits, including a triple, but she was the only one able to do any damage against Fazio during the game. Mariel Schlaefer had the lone RBI.
Lehigh 5, Bucknell 4
Bucknell erased a 4-0 deficit with four runs in the top of the sixth inning, but Lehigh won it with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Trailing 4-0, Zahn and Kovac cut the lead in half with back-to-back RBI singles. With two runners on and one out, Cox drove one off the left field fence for a two-run double to tie the game. Martinez followed with a single up the middle, but Cox had to pause to avoid being hit by the line drive, preventing any attempt to score on the play.
