Bucknell University
4-4, 0
Lafayette
0-5, 0
Softball Homers its Way to Doubleheader Sweep vs. Lafayette in League Opener
3/27/2021 7:56:00 PM | Softball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – It was a slugfest at Becker Field on Saturday as the Bucknell softball team made its home debut and won both games of a Patriot League doubleheader against Lafayette. The Bison totaled eight homers in the two games, three of which came from rookie Zoie Smith. Senior Taylor Wolfgang and junior Nicole Rivait also sent two each over the fence, and Bucknell totaled 21 hits while outscoring the Leopards 17-10 on the day.
"It feels great. I'm super happy we were able to find a way to win both games, and I feel like it sets the tone going forward into the rest of the season," said head coach Sarah Caffrey.
The Leopards hit three home runs of their own, with senior Paige Grover accounting for two.
Bucknell now heads to Easton, Pa. on Sunday to complete the four-game series at Lafayette. The action begins at 1 p.m., and both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Game One: Bucknell 10, Lafayette 7
While Bucknell led most of the way in the first game, it took some effort to overcome a 7-6 deficit in the fifth inning, where Lafayette scored five runs to take the lead. Home runs by Jazmyn Stokes and Rivait over the last two innings put Bucknell in position to open Patriot League play 1-0.
Bucknell, which has been outstanding in the first inning all season, scored its first three runs of the series on a homer by Wolfgang. Lafayette responded by sending one over the fence in the top of the second to make it a 3-1 game heading into the third.
A pair of doubles by Wolfgang and Rivait led off the third inning and extended Bucknell's lead to three once more.
Lafayette scored another run in the fourth, but the relentless Bison offense continued to swing for the fences. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Wolfgang and Smith went back-to-back with home runs to push Bucknell's lead to 6-2.
The top of the fifth is where Lafayette made its move, hanging five runs on the board with six hits, including a home run and a double. By the end of it, the Leopards possessed a 7-6 advantage as Kelly Toomey was called from the bullpen to relieve and the Bison entered the sixth inning in need of an equalizer.
They found that equalizer from the bat of Stokes, who hit a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 7-apiece. Bucknell then posted three more runs in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a two-RBI homer from Rivait and a Chase Knapp RBI double. The 10-7 edge would be all the Bison needed to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Toomey received the win after pitching the final three innings and striking out six. The junior improved to 2-0 on the season with the victory. Sophomore Kaiya Burton went the first four innings and struck out four. Wolfgang finished the first game 3-for-3 at the plate with two home runs, three runs scored, a walk, and four RBIs.
Game Two: Bucknell 7, Lafayette 3
Bucknell led the whole way in the second game and hit three more homers to improve to 2-0. Sophomore Olivia Marinelli made the start in the circle and pitched a complete game while registering eight strikeouts to improve to 2-1 in her career. Marinelli and the Bison held Lafayette off the scoreboard during the first five innings.
"She just has a great story" She's such a spark for us in general, so to see her come out and completely dominate the game, I'm just so proud of her. It's so fun to watch her get better."
Bucknell was also scoreless over the first two innings until Smith homered in the bottom of the third to get things started. An inning later the Bison scored four runs on four hits, including singles by Noelle Gardon, Niki Mabry, Rivait and Smith.
Following a scoreless fifth in which Marinelli and the defense retired the Leopards in order, Lafayette made one last comeback attempts by smacking a three-run homer with two outs that cut the deficit to four. Smith and Rivait responded in the bottom of the inning with two more home runs for good measure, and the Bison would hold on to capture the day one sweep.
Smith finished the second game 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Smith leads the Bison with five home runs hit through nine games and is batting .433. She also has a team-leading 11 RBIs, followed closely by Knapp's 10. Rivait went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored in game two.
"I'm super impressed with the way we hit," said Caffrey. "It's hard because now it's kind of the standard that we're going to score a ton of runs every game, and when we're not scoring a ton it feels like it's a bad game, but they've done a really great job transferring the swings that we do in the cages and in the practices into live situations."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Toomey, Kelly (2-0)
L: Sawai, Kailee (0-3)
Batting:
2B: Grover, Paige 1
HR: Grover, Paige 1 ; Sandidge, Paige 1
RBI: Harvey, Grace 1 ; Grover, Paige 4 ; Sandidge, Paige 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Miner, Natasha 1 ; Romano, Julia 1 ; Harvey, Grace 1 ; Grover, Paige 1 ; Van Wyk, Kinzi 1 ; Sandidge, Paige 1 ; Brasher, Erica 1
SB: Roman, Julia 1
CS: Romano, Julia 1
HBP: Miner, Natasha 1
Batting:
2B: Wolfgang, Taylor 1 ; Knapp, Chase 2
HR: Rivait, Nicole 1 ; Smith, Zoie 1 ; Wolfgang, Taylor 2 ; Stokes, Jazmyn 1
RBI: Rivait, Nicole 2 ; Smith, Zoie 1 ; Wolfgang, Taylor 4 ; Knapp, Chase 2 ; Stokes, Jazmyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hom, Jess 2 ; Rivait, Nicole 2 ; Smith, Zoie 1 ; Wolfgang, Taylor 3 ; Baglivo, Tara 1 ; Stokes, Jazmyn 1
SB: Hom, Jess 1 ; Rivait, Nicole 1 ; Knapp, Chase 1
CS: Hom, Jess 1
