Bucknell University
Lehigh
Bucknell Softball Hosts Lehigh for Final Home Series
4/22/2022 11:10:00 AM | Softball
Setting the Scene, Part I
What: Bucknell (5-34, 1-11 PL) vs. Lehigh (19-14, 8-1 PL)
Where: Becker Field – Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Saturday, April 23 at 12/2 p.m. (DH)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Setting the Scene, Part II
What: Bucknell (5-34, 1-11 PL) vs. Lehigh (19-14, 8-1 PL)
Where: Becker Field – Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Sunday, April 24 at 12 p.m.
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
About Bucknell
• Bucknell plays its final home series of the 2022 season when the Lehigh Mountain Hawks visit Becker Field this weekend. The Bison will be looking to improve upon their 1-11 league record
• The Bison are 2-7 when playing at home this season. Bucknell has lost five in a row at home but defeated Saint Peter's at Becker Field back on April 5.
• The Bison went 0-3 at Colgate last weekend. Two of the three losses came down to the wire and were by one run each. Six of Bucknell's 11 Patriot League losses have been decided by a single run.
• Kailyn Lorberter, Chase Knapp, Zoie Smith and Ava Aguilar all posted multiple hits over the weekend, and both of Smith's hits in game two went for doubles. Additionally, Annabella Hawkins added two of the team's four RBIs vs. Colgate.
• Nicole Rivait remains Bucknell's leader in batting average (.322), hits (38), doubles (8) and RBIs (10).
• Bucknell is hitting .211 as a team, and four Bison are hitting .250 or higher.
• Senior Kelly Toomey allowed just one hit through the first five and a half innings on Sunday and only three total in the game. Toomey has a season ERA of 4.08 and a team-best 68 strikeouts. As a team, the Bison own a 4.82 ERA.
• It's Senior Day at Becker Field on Saturday, and prior to the games Bucknell will be honoring the careers of three graduating Bison (Sarah Baluch, Nicole Rivait, Kelly Toomey). It's also Faculty Appreciation Day on Sunday, and the Bison will be accompanied by professors on the field prior to taking their positions.
Scouting Lehigh
• Lehigh is currently second in the Patriot League standings with an 8-1 league record and an 18-15-1 overall mark. Most recently, Lehigh split a doubleheader against Army on Tuesday. The Mountain Hawks won 6-4 in game one before falling 8-0 in five innings in game two. Lehigh has already swept both Holy Cross and Lafayette.
• Lehigh is hitting .299 as a team, which ranks second in the Patriot League. Leading the way is junior Emily Cimino, who is hitting .425 to rank second in the league. Third on the Lehigh roster is senior Carley Barjaktarovich (.333), who was named the Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year back in February.
• Lehigh owns a team ERA of 4.84. Senior Gabriella Nori (3.01) leads the team and is 8-8 overall. Sophomore Katelyn Young has made a team-high 22 appearances and is 10-5 this season.
Series History with Lehigh
• Bucknell is 47-97 in the all-time series with the Mountain Hawks, and Lehigh has won five out of nine over the last two seasons.
• The Bison won 5-4 in an extra-innings game at Lehigh last season, but the Mountain Hawks ended up taking three of four in the series. Sarah Baluch went 4-for-13 with two doubles in last year's Lehigh series, and Zoie Smith posted a team-high three RBIs.
Up Next
Bucknell heads to Easton, Pa. for its final series of the season next weekend. The Bison play a doubleheader at Lafayette on Saturday, April 30 before going back for a single game on Sunday, May 1.
