Geffert, Lichtenwalner Combine on 4-Hit Shutout as Softball Clips Sacramento State 1-0

Thursday, March 14

Sacramento, CA

6:15 p.m.

Bucknell University

8-13

Sacramento State

11-11

Bucknell

Sacramento State

Geffert, Lichtenwalner Combine on 4-Hit Shutout as Softball Clips Sacramento State 1-0

3/14/2019 8:08:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Fairbanks drives in game's lone run in 4th

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The junior pitching tandem of Raeanne Geffert and Lauren Lichtenwalner combined on a 4-hit shutout as the Bucknell softball team continued its West Coast trip with a 1-0 victory over Sacramento State on Thursday evening. Freshman Ava Fairbanks accounted for the game's only run with an RBI single in the fourth inning, helping the Bison shake off a couple of close losses to Pacific a day earlier.

Facing a Hornets squad that came in with an 11-10 record, including two wins over Pacific last weekend, Geffert and Lichtenwalner were terrific in this one. Geffert went the first three innings, giving up only three singles while striking out three. She conceded a leadoff single in the second, then retired the next three hitters. Sacramento State scratched out a pair of two-out singles in the third, but Geffert retired Suzy Brookshire on a ground out to squelch the rally.

Lichtenwalner took over in the fourth inning and was just as stingy. Her only blemish was a two-out single in the bottom of the fourth, and then she retired the last 10 Sacramento State hitters in succession to finish the game.

The Bison pitching duo did not walk a batter, they had error-free defense behind them, and they covered the seven innings with only 79 pitches, 64 of which were strikes.

Meanwhile, the Bison collected seven hits of their own, and the only run they would need came in the fourth against Jensen Main. Lauren Hadley started the rally with a walk and a stolen base. She moved up to third on an infield hit by Taylor Wolfgang and then scored on Fairbanks' base hit up the middle. Fairbanks, one of two Californians on the Bucknell roster, chased Main from the game, and then reliever Savanna Corr caught a break when a line drive off the bat of Ryanne Rokos was snared by the first baseman and turned into an unassisted double play that stymied the Bucknell rally.

Hadley doubled with one out in the sixth and then Wolfgang reached on another infield hit to put runners at the corners with one out. But Corr induced a foul pop, and after a four-pitch walk to Rokos loaded the bases, a strikeout ended the threat.

The Bison stranded two more runners in the seventh, but the insurance run was not needed thanks to the dominant pitching from Geffert and Lichtenwalner.

Wolfgang and Allyse Volpe both had multi-hit games, but Anna Gimmestad saw her hitting streak come to an end at 12.

Now 8-13 on the season, Bucknell is scheduled to play two games each against Manhattan and Saint Mary's as part of the Gaels' tournament on Friday and Saturday. First up is a date with the host team on Friday at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.