Bucknell University
Colgate
Bison Softball Hosts Colgate for Final Series of Regular Season
5/4/2021 2:55:00 PM | Softball
Setting the Scene, Part I
What: Colgate at Bucknell (DH)
Where: Lewisburg, Pa. – Becker Field
When: Saturday, May 8 – 1 p.m. / 3 p.m.
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Setting the Scene, Part II
What: Colgate (14-12, 12-8 PL) at Bucknell (11-16, 8-12 PL) (DH)
Where: Lewisburg, Pa. – Becker Field
When: Sunday, May 9 – Noon / 2 p.m.
Watch Live: ESPN+ (Game One)
Watch Live: ESPN+ (Game Two)
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Spectator Policy: BucknellBison.com
About the Bison
• Bucknell plays its final series of the regular season this weekend when it hosts the Colgate Raiders for doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday. Bucknell will need to find some wins to keep its Patriot League tournament hopes alive, as the team currently sits on the outside looking in at fifth in league standings. Bucknell is tied with Army with 11 league wins, but the Black Knights hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
• Saturday is also Senior Day for the softball program, and the Bison will honor the careers of six seniors – Tara Baglivo, Jess Hom, Sarah Magro, Jazmyn Stokes, Jordan Trimiew and Taylor Wolfgang. The group has been part of 75 Bison victories over their careers.
• Bucknell is coming off a tough road series at Army that dropped the team to 8-12 in league standings with four more losses. The Bison had trouble finding runs in the Saturday doubleheader, losing both games by a combined score of 8-0. The team rallied in the seventh innings of both Sunday games, but the comebacks efforts fell just short. Bucknell also committed five errors over the weekend.
• Sarah Baluch led the Bison with four hits over the weekend, including a double and an RBI. The junior has eight hits over the last eight games.
• Rookie Zoie Smith, who ranks second on the roster in hits (22), added two more to her season total over the weekend. Smith is also fourth in the Patriot League in RBIs (22) and second in homers (6).
• Fellow rookie Niki Mabry also posted two hits over the weekend. She has eight hits over the last nine games since moving to the leadoff spot. Mabry is 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts this year.
• Senior Taylor Wolfgang was the other Bison to record an RBI over the weekend, doing so with her fourth double of the season. Wolfgang is now seventh in program history with 38 doubles in her standout career. She's also tied for seventh with 96 career RBIs. She ranks near the top of the league with 18 walks this spring.
• Jess Hom was one of four Bison with a multi-hit weekend and was one of three to cross home plate. Hom has missed just one start this year and is one of four Bison that have appeared in every game. She's also second on the team in walks (12).
• All four Bison pitchers saw starts over the weekend, and rookie Hunter Vestal's 1.40 ERA over five innings led the group. Junior Kelly Toomey tossed a team-high eight strikeouts in nine innings while earning three runs. For the season, Kaiya Burton and Toomey both have four wins, and Toomey leads the team with 53 strikeouts thrown. Burton has received the most work at 73.2 innings pitched.
Scouting the Raiders
• Colgate is currently second in Patriot League standings with a 12-8 league record and a 14-12 overall mark. The Raiders were picked fourth in the preseason poll.
• Colgate has won five games in a row, including two against Holy Cross on Saturday. Colgate also went 3-1 against Army the previous weekend. The Raiders are the only league team to get a win off first-place Boston U. this season.
• Junior Morgan Farrah leads the Raiders with a .395 batting average and 34 hits. Farrah has nine hits over the last five games and leads the team with 26 RBIs. She's also first in the league with seven homers.
• Five Raiders in total are batting above .300, including Preseason All-Patriot League selection Virginia Irby.
• Sophomore Bailey Misken and senior Bella Crow have each started 13 games in the circle this season. Crow has a team-best seven wins, and Misken leads the Raiders with a 2.70 ERA.
• Colgate head coach Marissa Lamison-Myers served as an assistant at Bucknell from 2013 to 2017.
Series History with the Raiders
• Bucknell leads the all-time series 63-54 against Colgate. The Bison have won each of the last 15 meetings dating back to 2015. Bucknell also holds a 28-21 edge in home games against the Raiders.
• Bucknell and Colgate last met in 2019. Bucknell claimed all three regular season matchups at home before capturing a 5-2 win over the Raiders in the Patriot League tournament. Wolfgang went 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs in the last meeting.
Up Next
• The four-team Patriot League tournament is scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 13 and will run through the weekend. The tournament will be hosted at the home site of the highest seed.
