Bucknell University Athletics
Fourth-Seeded Bison Open PL Tournament at Top-Seeded Lehigh on Thursday
5/11/2016 2:39:00 PM | Softball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell softball team opens play in the four-team Patriot League Tournament on Thursday at noon. The fourth-seeded Bison will take on the top-seeded Mountain Hawks in the semifinal round. The entire tournament can be seen online free of charge on the Patriot League Network.
Bucknell and Lehigh met in the championship game of last year's league tournament. The Mountain Hawks won the title, while the Bison finished as the runner-up for the second consecutive season. The winner of this year's semifinal matchup will take on the winner of second-seeded Army West Point and third-seeded Boston University on Friday in the winner's bracket final. The double-elimination tournament concludes on Saturday.
The Bison enter the postseason with an overall record f 27-21 and went 11-7 against league opponents. The league slate included one win against each of the other three teams in the tournament bracket. The Mountain Hawks edged Army West Point for the regular season title, finishing 35-14 overall and 13-4 in the conference. They closed the season by winning two out of three games against Holy Cross.
Bucknell has won at least one game in each of the past three conference tournaments. The Bison went 2-2 and finished as the runner-up in both 2014 and 2015, and were 1-2 in 2013. The program's last league title and appearance in the NCAA Regional came in 2010. The Bison beat Colgate in the championship game that season and advanced to play California and Ohio State in the regional event.
Lehigh and Bucknell have met in each of the past two league tournaments. The Mountain Hawks defeated the Bison twice last season, while the Bison eliminated the top-seeded Mountain Hawks with a 3-1 win in the 2014 tournament.
Bucknell recently had three players named to the All-Patriot League Teams, led by senior pitcher Amanda Fazio and sophomore Meghan Kovac on the First Team. Senior Mariah Midyette was a Second Team selection. Lehigh's Alexis Watanabe was voted the Defensive Player of the Year and was one of seven Mountain Hawks to earn All-League honors.
