Softball Beats Delaware State, Falls to Liberty on Sunday

Sunday, February 24

Lynchburg, Va.

4:30 p.m.

Bucknell University

4-4

Delaware State

1-5

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Delaware State	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	4	7	2
Bucknell	0	0	1	6	1	3	X	11	18	2

Photo by: Alli Meehan

Softball Beats Delaware State, Falls to Liberty on Sunday

2/25/2019 12:08:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Bucknell split two games Sunday on the final day of the Liberty Softball Challenge, posting an 11-4 win over Delaware State and a 1-0 loss to Liberty. The Bison head back to Lewisburg with an overall record of 4-5 after going 3-1 during the weekend.

The Bison also had wins over Valparaiso (7-1) and Princeton (3-0) while in Lynchburg.

Ava Fairbanks had an outstanding tournament offensively, while Raeanne Geffert was nearly unhittable in the circle. Fairbanks hit .600 (6-10) with three doubles and three RBIs. Geffert pitched in all four games, including two starts, and went 2-1 with 0.41 ERA. She struck out 22 batters and walked just two.

Bucknell will play five games at the District Classic in Washington, D.C., on March 1-3. The Bison will play Georgetown, Saint Joseph's, Howard, Harvard, and Brown.

Bucknell 11, Delaware State 4
The Bison had 18 hits, including eight doubles, as they rolled to an 11-4 win over Delaware State in the team's first game of the day. It was their third consecutive win.

Nicole Rivait and Fairbanks led the high-powered offensive performance with three hits apiece. Rivait had two doubles, a single, and two RBIs, while Fairbanks had two singles, a double, and drove in one run.

Nine Bison players contributed at least one hit and seven had at least one extra-base hit. Allyse Volpe, Jess Hom, Taylor Wolfgang, and Julienne Egofske all had a single and double. Tara Baglivo had one double, Lauren Hadley singled twice, and Halie Mariano chipped in with one single.

Lauren Lichtenwalner pitched six innings to get the win. She gave up two earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out seven batters. Geffert pitched one scoreless inning of relief and struck out two.

The Bison trailed 2-1 after three innings before breaking out with six runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Delaware State dropped to 1-5 with the loss.

Liberty 1, Bucknell 0
Geffert gave up just one run in six innings but took the loss as Liberty improved to 8-6 with its fifth consecutive win.

The Flames scored the game's lone run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Alexis Erich hit a two-out triple and then scored on a triple by Sarah Robertson.

Geffert gave up four hits and one walk while striking out three batters.

Bucknell had its best chance to score in the fourth inning but stranded the bases loaded. Hadley and Anna Gimmestad led off with back-to-back singles and moved up on a one-out walk by Fairbanks. Liberty starting pitcher Chase Cassady, a Second Team All-Big South selection last season, got a foulout and a strikeout to end the threat.

Cassady and Julia DiMartino combined on the shutout. Cassady gave up four hits and two walks while striking out five in 4.1 innings. DiMartino struck out two and didn't allow a hit or walk as she picked up the win with 2.2 innings of relief.

The Flames went 49-14 and won the Big South title last season. They already have a win over then-No. 19 Texas A&M this season.