Bucknell Softball Posts 2-0 Day with Extra-Inning Wins in Wilmington

Saturday, February 19

Wilmington, N.C.

10 a.m.

Bucknell University

1-4

Marist

0-3

Bucknell

Marist

Bucknell Softball Posts 2-0 Day with Extra-Inning Wins in Wilmington

2/19/2022 8:43:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Bucknell softball team earned its first two wins of the season on Saturday, defeating both Marist and UNCW in a pair of eight-inning affairs. The Bison led most of the way in game one against the Red Foxes but had to win it in extras after giving up the tying run in the sixth. They then recovered from a 3-0 deficit in game two against the Seahawks and posted a five-run eighth inning to go to 2-0 at the UNCW Invitational.

Senior pitcher Kelly Toomey was credited with both wins, throwing the final two innings of game one and going all eight in game two. She totaled eight strikeouts and allowed eight hits on the day. Kaiya Burton started game one and went the first six innings while allowing one run.

Chase Knapp, Nicole Rivait and Sarah Baluch ended the day with two RBIs each. Rivait was spectacular in the UNCW win, going 4-for-5 with a double, and Knapp was 2-for-5 with two doubles. Kailyn Lorberter also posted an RBI on Saturday.

Bucknell plays both Marist and UNCW again on Sunday to conclude the weekend. Game one against the Red Foxes is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

Game One: Bucknell 2, Marist 1

The Bison were on the board first against Marist, scoring in the third inning and maintaining the lead until the Red Foxes tied the game in the bottom of the sixth. Baluch drove in what ended up being the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth, and the Bison retired Marist in order in the bottom half for their first victory of the young season.

Burton, who started the game, threw five strikeouts and gave up one run on four hits and a walk. Toomey struck out one and gave up no hits over the final two innings. Bucknell ended up with four hits in the game as well.

After two scoreless innings to begin the day, Bucknell loaded the bases in the third with singles from Ava Aguilar and Knapp as well as a MaKenzie Hilling walk. Aguilar scored on a wild pitch to put the Orange & Blue up 1-0.

Marist tripled to lead off the sixth and tied the game on a sac fly to left field. Burton got the Bison out of the inning with back-to-back strikeouts, but she was replaced in the bottom of the seventh after a leadoff single to center field that put the game in jeopardy. Bucknell immediately turned a double play, and Toomey got the next batter swinging to send the game to the eighth.

Knapp was the runner on second to begin the extra inning, and she advanced to third on a groundout in Bucknell's first at-bat. She scored two batters later on a Baluch sac fly to right field, and the defense held for the win in the bottom of the inning.

Game Two: Bucknell 8, UNCW 4

Toomey threw all eight innings of game two, posting seven strikeouts and allowing eight hits. The Bison offense produced 13 hits, including four in the extra frame that yielded five runs. It was a come-from-behind effort as UNCW jumped out to a 3-0 lead after three innings.

Bucknell chipped away at the 3-0 deficit with a Knapp double and a Rivait single in the top of the fifth. The Bison added another run in the top of the sixth following a leadoff double from Juliette Basso and an RBI-single by Lorberter.

Bucknell completed the comeback in the seventh, tying the game at 3-3 thanks to a two-out double by Rivait and an RBI-single by Baluch.

Bucknell really got the bats going in the top of the eighth, posting four hits and scoring five more runs to take the lead for good. Basso gave the Bison a 4-3 lead by scoring on a wild pitch, and the next three batters all reached successfully before UNCW could get an out. Lorberter scored on a UNCW error, Elena Horn made it across thanks to a Knapp double to right field, and Knapp later scored on a Rivait single through the left side, bringing the Bison lead to 8-3.

UNCW managed to add just one more run in the bottom of the eighth before Toomey struck out the final two batters.

It was the fourth complete game Toomey has thrown with the Bison, and she's now 6-3 since joining the Orange & Blue as a junior.