Softball Splits Pair of Games on Opening Day of Patriot League Tournament

Thursday, May 9

Boston, Mass.

1 p.m.

Bucknell University

27-23

Lehigh University

26-26

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Lehigh	2	1	0	3	0	0	1	7	15	0
Bucknell	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	7	1

Photo by: Jim Pierce

Softball Splits Pair of Games on Opening Day of Patriot League Tournament

5/9/2019 9:02:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BOSTON, Mass. – Bucknell lost to Lehigh in its opening game of the Patriot League Tournament at Boston University on Thursday, but bounced back with a 5-2 win in eight innings over Colgate in the first consolation game to keep its title hopes alive.

The second-seeded Bison are 28-23 overall and will play the loser between top-seeded Boston University and third-seeded Lehigh at noon on Friday. The Terriers and Mountain Hawks play in the winner's bracket final at 10 a.m.

Bucknell 5, Colgate 2 (8 innings)
Taylor Wolfgang hit a go-ahead two-run single with two outs in the top of the eighth inning to help Bucknell stay alive in the tournament with a 5-2 win over Colgate. Wolfgang, the Patriot League leader in RBIs, drove in four of the team's five runs.

Lauren Lichtenwalner started and put together a strong performance in her 5.1 innings of work. She gave up two runs, one earned, on four hits and no walks while striking out one. Raeanne Geffert picked up the win with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief.

Geffert struck out four in the game, giving her 168 on the year. She broke Bucknell's previous single-season record of 164 by Amanda Fazio, who is now an assistant coach for Colgate.

Colgate jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first inning. The lead didn't hold up long as Bucknell tied it with a two-run single by Wolfgang in the top of the third.

Lichtenwalner, who has been one of the best pitchers defensively all season, made numerous nice plays against the Raiders. She had three assists on tough plays.

Geffert entered the game with one out and a runner on second base in the bottom of the sixth inning. She sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around a walk to get out of the jam.

Anna Gimmestad reached on an error to start Bucknell's rally in the eighth. Lauren Hadley followed with a single up the middle and then advanced on a passed ball to set the stage for Wolfgang. The sophomore singled up the middle on a 3-2 pitch.

The Bison added an insurance run in the eighth as Halie Mariano singled with one out to move Wolfgang to second before Ryanne Rokos walked to load the bases. Nicole Rivait drove in Wolfgang with a single.

Bucknell finished with 11 hits, including a double and two singles by Wolfgang. Gimmestad, Hadley, and Rokos each singled twice, while Mariano and Rivait added one single apiece.

Freshman Allyse Volpe, who had a hit in the first game of the day, saw her 18-game hitting streak come to an end.

Lehigh 7, Bucknell 2
Lehigh tallied 15 hits to knock off Bucknell in the Bison's first game of the day. That was just two hits shy of the amount the Mountain Hawks had over three games against the Bison during the regular season.

Bucknell trailed by just one after Gimmestad scored on a sacrifice fly by Wolfgang in the bottom of the third inning, but Lehigh pulled away with three runs in the fourth and one in the seventh. Mary-Hannah Smith drove in all four with a three-run homer and a double.

The Bison finished with seven hits, including a single and triple by Gimmestad and a single and double by Volpe. Hadley, Jess Hom, and Rivait had one hit apiece.