Softball Opens Spring Break Slate with Five Games in Madeira Beach, Fla.

Friday, March 11

Madeira Beach, Fla.

11 a.m.

Bucknell University

Siena

Photo by: Alli Meehan

Softball Opens Spring Break Slate with Five Games in Madeira Beach, Fla.

3/10/2022 2:20:00 PM | Softball

Setting the Scene
What: The Spring Games
Where: Madeira Beach, Fla.
When: March 11-13

Bucknell Schedule (All Times EST)
Friday, March 11
11 a.m. | vs. Siena (2-4) | FloSoftball
4 p.m. | vs. Toledo (5-10) | FloSoftball

Saturday, March. 12
5 p.m. | vs. LIU (6-14) | FloSoftball

Sunday, March 13
9 a.m. | vs. Purdue (8-13) | FloSoftball
11:30 a.m. | vs. Western Michigan (5-10) | FloSoftball

About the Bison
• Bucknell kicks off its spring break schedule at The Spring Games Invitational in Madeira Beach, Fla. this weekend. The Bison will play five games in three days against five different opponents. Each game this weekend can be streamed on FloSoftball.com (subscription required).
• Bucknell had last week off following its trip to Greensboro, N.C. where it played four games at the UNCG Invitational. The Bison sit at 2-10 overall are halfway through their non-conference schedule. Bucknell opens Patriot League play at home against Holy Cross on March 26.
• Bucknell is currently second in the Patriot League in RPI (169), while Boston U. has the highest RPI at 55.
• Through 12 games, Bucknell is batting .218 as a team and has three players hitting above .250. Senior Nicole Rivait leads the way with a .361 average and a team-high 13 hits with four doubles. Rivait is also 4-for-6 at the plate over her last two games.
• Also having a standout season so far is outfielder Elena Horn. The rookie is batting .300 and posted five hits in Bucknell's four games two weeks ago. Horn has three multi-hit games this season.
• Leading the Bison in RBIs (5) and batting .268 is junior Chase Knapp. Knapp has Bucknell's two home runs this season is slugging .474.
• In the circle, senior Kelly Toomey has thrown a team-high 34 innings and has started six games. Toomey also accounts for Bucknell's two wins this season and is 6-8 in her career with the Bison after arriving in Lewisburg last season. She also leads the team with 28 strikeouts in 2022.
• Kaiya Burton sports a team-best 2.58 ERA in six appearances and three starts. She's struck out 12 batters in 19 innings pitched.

Scouting the Opponents/Series History
• Siena – The Saints are 2-4 after opening their season in Florida two weeks ago. They collected wins over Cornell and FGCU. Siena is batting .219 as a team and has a team ERA of 2.08. Bucknell is 6-12 in the all-time series with the Saints, which dates back to 1999. The two teams last met in 2014, and Bucknell outscored the Saints 11-1 in the two games.
• Toledo – Toledo is 5-10 and most recently went 2-3 at the Jane B. Moore Memorial Tournament at Auburn last weekend. The Rockets picked up victories over Chattanooga and North Carolina A&T last time out. Toledo has also suffered a pair of losses to UNC Wilmington, which is its only common opponent with the Bison this season. Toledo is hitting .275 as a team and has a team ERA of 6.01. Bucknell and Toledo have met just twice, playing once in 2002 and once in 2015. The teams have split their only two matchups, and Bucknell won 4-3 in the more recent meeting.
• LIU – The Sharks are 6-14 and were down in Florida last weekend where they picked up wins over Rhode Island, UAlbany and Radford. LIU is batting .236 for the season and has a 4.52 team ERA. This weekend will be the first-ever meeting between the Bison and the Sharks.
• Purdue – Purdue is 8-13 this season. The Boilermakers won 13-5 over Florida Atlantic to open the FAU Parent's Weekend Tournament last week before dropping its final four contests. Purdue also opened the season with a 5-0 start. It possesses a .246 team batting average and a 5.10 team ERA. Sunday will be the first-ever meeting between the Bison and the Boilermakers as well.
• Western Michigan – The Broncos are 5-10 and faced fellow Patriot League team Army in Madeira Beach earlier this week. The Broncos split the doubleheader with the Black Knights, falling 4-3 in the first game before winning in a 2-0 shutout in game two on Tuesday. Western Michigan sports a team batting average of .225 and a team ERA of 3.51. Bucknell and Western Michigan have never played one another.

Up Next
Bucknell stays in Florida to take on North Florida in Jacksonville next week. The Bison have games scheduled against the Ospreys at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16.