Softball Drops Two Games to North Florida on Wednesday

Wednesday, March 16

Jacksonville, Fla.

4 p.m.

Bucknell University

3-15

North Florida

22-6

Bucknell

North Florida

Softball Drops Two Games to North Florida on Wednesday

3/16/2022 8:39:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Bucknell softball team took on North Florida in a mid-week doubleheader in the midst of its spring break trip down south and went 0-2 Wednesday as the offense struggled to keep pace with the Ospreys. The Bison trailed 1-0 through most of the day, but North Florida pulled away late in both games as Bucknell failed to produce a run.

Bucknell fell to 3-16 with the losses and has one more weekend of road games before returning to Lewisburg.

Bucknell opens Patriot League play as well as its first games at Becker Field on Saturday, March 26, but first the Bison travel to Chattanooga, Tenn. to take part in the Chatty's Patty's Softball Tournament this weekend. The Bison have four games scheduled and will take on UT-Chattanooga and Southeast Louisiana.

Game One: North Florida 9, Bucknell 0

After giving up a single run in the bottom of the first, Bucknell held North Florida scoreless for three straight innings, but the team failed to replace the zero on the board before the Ospreys took off with a big eight-run showing in the fifth to end the game early.

Junior Olivia Marinelli started the contest in the circle for Bucknell and gave up four hits and three earned runs while striking out two batters. As fellow junior Kaiya Burton and rookie Madison Roukey came in to relieve, the Ospreys added six more runs in the bottom of the fifth to seal the victory.

Bucknell totaled four hits in the game, including a double from senior Nicole Rivait, and left three on base throughout the afternoon.

With two away in the bottom of the first, North Florida senior Paige Pfent salvaged the inning with a double and was sent across with a single on the next at-bat to give the Ospreys an early 1-0 lead.

The Bison saw two hits in the second, a Rivait double in the third and a single in the fourth, but they were never able to string enough together to even things up.

Following a North Florida leadoff single and a one-out double to left that put runners on second and third in the bottom of the fifth, Burton entered the game in an attempt to prevent further damage. The Ospreys proceeded to pile on four consecutive hits and totaled nine in the inning. A two-out double down the left field line ended the game as the Ospreys exceeded the fifth inning run rule.

Game Two: North Florida 4, Bucknell 0

Bucknell limited North Florida to just one run through the first four innings of game two as well, but still the Bison struggled to tie it up. Senior Kelly Toomey threw the first five innings, giving up three earned runs on eight hits. Roukey saw action once again in game two as one more run scored under her occupancy.

North Florida first got on the board in the bottom of the second when sophomore Regan Hermeling led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on the following at-bat with a sacrifice bunt. She scored two batters later on a two-out RBI single up the middle by sophomore Abi Annett.

North Florida left three runners on in the third and another in the fourth as Toomey continued to battle.

The Ospreys led off the fifth with a single and a home run to put Bucknell in a 3-0 hole. They added another run in the bottom of the sixth on a single and a pair of Bucknell errors.

Bucknell left seven on base in game two, including three in the bottom of the second as Ava Aguliar loaded the bases with a walk. Rookie Bella Radican accounted for two of Bucknell's five hits in the second game.