Softball Opens League Play at Home Against Holy Cross This Weekend

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell softball team will play at home for the first time this season when it opens conference play with three games against Holy Cross at Becker Field this weekend. The Bison will host the Crusaders for a doubleheader beginning at noon on Saturday and will conclude the series with one game at noon on Sunday. Audio of all three games will be available online at BucknellBison.com and on the radio on 90.5 WVBU.

Bucknell went 6-4 at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Florida to up its record to 14-10 on the season. The Bison won five of their first six games at the event, but dropped three of their final four.

The Bison have the best pitching numbers in the Patriot League by a wide margin, leading the conference with a 2.24 ERA. Army West Point is a distant second with a 3.08 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .230 against Bucknell, which also leads the league with 120 strikeouts.

Senior Amanda Fazio leads the Bucknell pitching staff, possessing a league-best 1.10 ERA. She is holding opponents' to a league-low .201 batting average and has struck out 66 batters in 76.2 innings. Nineteen of those strikeouts have been looking. Senior Dana Nielsen has also been outstanding, recording a 6-2 record and a 2.85 ERA in 54.0 innings. Senior Cindy Cherness gives the Bison three quality options in the circle. She has a 2.10 ERA in 16.2 innings and has the team's lone no-hitter.

The pitching staff has been aided by the play of Christina Martinez behind the plate. The junior has started all 24 games at catcher and has thrown out eight runners attempting to steal. That is tied for the lead in the Patriot League.

Bucknell's offense has been solid, too, but will look for more consistency as league play begins. The Bison rank third in the conference with a .293 batting average and lead in both doubles (41) and triples (7). Sophomore Meghan Kovac is listed all over the Patriot League leaders, including first in hits (40), RBIs (23) and doubles (12), second in hitting (.471) and slugging (.729), and third in on-base percentage (.521).

Fazio has contributed at the plate, as well, with a .361 average and 15 steals. Junior Carolyn Wan is third in the league with 15 walks and fifth with a .452 on-base percentage. She has reached base safely in 12 straight games, the third longest streak by a Bison player this season. Freshman Anna Gimmestad has provided the lineup with some pop, ranking third in the conference with nine doubles.

Holy Cross enters the weekend series with a record of 4-15 following three straight losses in games against Stony Brook and Fairfield. The Crusaders' wins this season have come over Sacred Heart, Drexel, Hampton and Providence.

The Crusaders were picked to finish sixth in the league in a preseason poll, while senior outfielder Emily Jarvis and sophomore first baseman Taylor Moss were voted to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team. Moss leads the team with a .333 batting average, while Jarvis is hitting .196.

Bucknell leads Holy Cross 57-32 in a series that began in 1991. The Bison haven't lost a season series since the Crusaders won three of four games in 2003.