Bucknell University
1-0
Towson University
0-1
Softball Opens Season with 9-1 Win Over Towson, Falls to Marshall at Upstate Classic
2/7/2020 11:22:00 PM | Softball
SPARTANSBURG, S.C. – Bucknell softball opened the 2020 season with a 9-1 win over Towson at the Upstate Classic Friday afternoon, scoring eight runs in the first two innings. Bucknell would go on to fall 9-4 to the Marshall Herd later that evening to go 1-1 on opening day.
Freshman Chase Knapp finished the day 3-for-6 with a home run, a double, and four RBIs. Bucknell was 9-for-9 on stolen bases on the day, including four successful attempts by sophomore Allyse Volpe.
Bucknell continues play at the Upstate Classic tomorrow with an 11 a.m. game against Saint Francis and a 1 p.m. matchup with host USC Upstate.
Bucknell 9, Towson 1
Bucknell ended things early in the season opener by hanging eight runs on the Tigers by the end of the second inning. Six Bison recorded RBIs in the win, including three on the first hit of Knapp's collegiate career. Senior Raeanne Geffert finished the game with eight strikeouts and didn't allow a Towson run until the top of the fifth.
Knapp hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the second that concluded a five-hit, five-run inning for the Bison. It followed a pair of doubles from freshman Kailyn Lorberter and junior Jess Hom, as well as a successful bunt attempt from Volpe. Later in the inning, Bella DeRiso scored on a fielder's choice. The five runs were the most the Bison had scored in a single inning since April 27 of last season.
The Bison had scored three in the first inning after retiring the Tigers in order to begin the game. Nicole Rivait, Taylor Wolfgang, and Volpe all hit singles in the first, and Lauren Lichtenwalner chipped in with an RBI.
The scoring went quiet in the third, but the Bison added an insurance run in the fourth when Rivait scored on a double down the right field line by Ava Fairbanks. The run wound up being an important one, as it kept the lead at eight when Towson scored its lone run of the game in the top of the fifth.
All told, Bucknell finished the game with nine hits, one error, and a pair of walks. Volpe went 2-for-2 with three stolen bases, a walk, and two runs scored.
Bucknell 4, Marshall 9
The Herd hit three home runs that accounted for six of the nine runs scored against Bucknell in the second game of the day for the Bison. The Herd also racked up 14 hits, and Bucknell stranded 10 runners in the loss.
After Bucknell took an early 1-0 lead thanks to a run scored by Knapp in the first, Marshall scored seven unanswered and never trailed again. Five of those runs came during the third inning, which saw a three-run home run by Marshall's Saige Pye. The other two home runs were hit by senior Sierra Huerta, who racked up three RBIs.
Bucknell scored three unanswered between the fourth and sixth innings to cut into the Marshall lead and make it a 7-4 game, but the Herd put a halt to the comeback and added two more runs in the process. Lichtenwalner received the loss with eight hits allowed and seven earned runs in 2.2 innings. Freshman Kaiya Burton finished the last 3.1 innings with six hits allowed and seven strikeouts.
Knapp went 2-for-4 in the game with a double, an RBI, and one run scored. Hom was 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs scored. The Bison ended the game with nine hits and no errors.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Geffert, Raeanne (1-0)
L: Jackson, Julia (0-1)
Batting:
RBI: Jackson, Julia 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Swistock, Jessica 1
SB: Swistock, Jessica 1
Batting:
2B: Fairbanks, Ava 1 ; Lorberter, Kailyn 1 ; Hom, Jess 1
HR: Knapp, Chase 1
RBI: Knapp, Chase 3 ; Wolfgang, Taylor 1 ; Rivait, Nicole 1 ; Fairbanks, Ava 1 ; Lichtenwalner, Lauren 2 ; Hom, Jess 1
SF: Lichtenwalner, Lauren 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Volpe, Allyse 2 ; Knapp, Chase 2 ; Wolfgang, Taylor 1 ; DeRiso, Bella 1 ; Rivait, Nicole 1 ; Lorberter, Kailyn 1 ; Hom, Jess 1
SB: Volpe, Allyse 3 ; Baglivo, Tara 1
HBP: Wolfgang, Taylor 2
