Softball Beats Three-Time Defending American Athletic Conference Champion Tulsa, 4-2

Friday, February 8

Baton Rouge, La.

11:30 a.m.

Bucknell University

0-1

Iowa

1-0

Iowa

Bucknell

Softball Beats Three-Time Defending American Athletic Conference Champion Tulsa, 4-2

2/8/2019 6:49:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BATON ROUGE, La. – Lauren Lichtenwalner escaped two bases-loaded jams and went the distance in the circle Friday to help Bucknell softball hold off Tulsa 4-2. The Bison split their two games on the day as they opened LSU's Tiger Classic with a 5-3 loss to Iowa earlier in the day.

Bucknell (1-1) continues play at the Tiger Classic on Saturday with another game against Tulsa, the three-time defending champion in the American Athletic Conference, at 2 p.m. The Bison will then play No. 11 LSU at 8 p.m.

Game 2 – Bucknell 4, Tulsa 2
Lichtenwalner gave up nine hits but gave up runs in just the first inning to lead Bucknell to its first win of the season. She struck out two, walked two, and hit two batters.

The Bison scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning to take the lead for good. Freshman Allyse Volpe got the ball rolling with a leadoff walk. She stole second, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jess Hom, and scored the game-tying run on an error.

Bucknell made that error hurt even more thanks to a sacrifice fly by Taylor Wolfgang that scored Hom for the go-ahead run. The Bison tacked on an insurance run with an RBI single by Nicole Rivait to make it 4-2.

Tulsa held a 2-0 lead early after scoring twice in the top of the first. Bucknell scored its first run on an RBI single by Julienne Egofske. Ava Fairbanks scored on the hit after coming through with a two-out double.

Lichtenwalner's toughest test came in the top of the fourth inning when she put the first two runners on with walks before allowing a single to load the bases. She came out of the inning unscathed thanks to two flyouts and a lineout.

The Golden Hurricane loaded the bases again in the sixth inning, but this time with two outs. Lichtenwalner ended that inning with a groundout. There were runners on first and second with one out in the top of the seventh, but Lichtenwalner got a double play to end the game.

The Bison finished with six hits, including two by Rivait. Hom, Lauren Hadley, Fairbanks, and Egofske had one apiece.

Game 1 – Iowa 5, Bucknell 3
Two unearned runs proved costly as Bucknell dropped its season opener 5-3 to Iowa. The Bison went against the Hawkeyes' top pitcher, Allison Doocy, who was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection last season. She struck out 14 on her way to the win.

The Bison hit Doocy fairly well considering the success she has had with Iowa, getting a hit from seven different players. They tied the game at 2-2 with a two-run double by Anna Gimmestad in the bottom of the third inning, and tied the game again at 3-3 with an RBI single by Hadley in the fifth inning.

Iowa broke a 3-3 tie with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Doocy struck out the side in the bottom half of the inning.

Adding one hit apiece for Bucknell were Volpe, Hom, Rivait, and Halie Mariano.

Raeanne Geffert went all seven innings in her first start of the season for the Bison. She gave up five runs, three earned, on seven hits and four walks while striking out four.

Aralee Bogar led Iowa with a triple and a single.