Bucknell University
Army
Softball Hosts Army Black Knights for Weekend Patriot League Series
4/7/2022 1:47:00 PM | Softball
Setting the Scene, Part I
What: Bucknell (5-26, 1-5 PL) vs. Army (9-23, 0-1 PL)
Where: Becker Field – Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Saturday, April 9 at 12/2 p.m. (DH)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Setting the Scene, Part II
What: Bucknell (5-26, 1-5 PL) vs. Army (9-23, 0-1 PL)
Where: Becker Field – Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Sunday, April 10 at 12 p.m.
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
• The Bucknell softball program is teaming up with the Vs. Cancer Foundation on Saturday and will be wearing gold shoelaces to bring awareness to pediatric cancer.
• The softball program has already raised more than $4,800 in order to make a difference in the lives of kids with cancer. Fans can donate now to the Bucknell team page. Half of donations raised by the Bison will go to the Thyra M. Humphreys Center, which is located here in Lewisburg.
About Bucknell
• Bucknell, which is coming off its largest victory of the season over Saint Peter's on Tuesday, plays host to the Army Black Knights this weekend in its third Patriot League series of the season. The Bison will be looking to improve upon their 1-5 league record.
• Bucknell is currently fifth in the Patriot League standings and is two games back from fourth-place Holy Cross. The Crusaders went 2-1 against the Bison in the opening series of league play. Army and Lafayette are both seeking their first league wins.
• The Bison posted a huge 13-0 win over Saint Peter's earlier this week, racking up 11 hits while pitching their third shutout of the season. It was also Bucknell's second consecutive win at home. Bucknell scored eight of its 13 runs in the first inning.
• Nine different Bison collected hits in the Saint Peter's wins, while Elena Horn and Chase Knapp each had two. Horn, who was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week last week, also scored a team-high three runs. Horn is second on the roster with a .246 batting average. Knapp went 2-for-3 against the Peacocks, including the team's third triple of the season.
• Senior Nicole Rivait, who leads the team in batting average (.337), hits (31) and doubles (7), blasted a three-run home run against Saint Peter's in the bottom of the third inning. Rivait is now tied for ninth in program history with 12 homers in her career.
• Senior Kelly Toomey leads the Bison in starts (11), strikeouts (59) and wins (4) this season. She threw her fifth complete game of the season against the Peacocks, allowing just two hits and no walks while striking out five. Toomey owns a 4.00 ERA.
• Junior Olivia Marinelli is second on the roster with a 4.74 ERA and has started six games, while rookie Madison Roukey is the only other pitcher to collect a win this season.
Scouting the Black Knights
• Army is just 0-1 in Patriot League play after having the final two games of its Lehigh series postponed. The Black Knights fell 6-1 in their first game against the Mountain Hawks and are 9-23 overall this spring, most recently dropping a pair of games to UAlbany on Wednesday.
• Army was picked third in the Patriot League preseason poll after finishing fourth in the league last season.
• Army is hitting .234 as a team this season, and sophomore Kayla Edwards leads the roster with a .330 average. She also ranks sixth in the league in hits (34). Edwards is currently on a 10-game hitting streak and has multiple hits in six of those games.
• Senior Jolie Duong has started a team-high 16 games in the circle and is 4-8 overall with a 3.98 ERA. The Black Knights have a 4.39 team ERA this spring.
Series History with the Black Knights
• Army leads 67-43 in the all-time series, which dates back to 1991. It has also won each of the last five matchups with Bucknell. Bucknell's last win against the Black Knights was in 2019, and this will be the Bison's first home game against Army since 2018.
• Army swept the Bison in the series in West Point last spring, out-hitting Bucknell 31-13 over four games. Sarah Baluch posted the best weekend for the Bison, going 4-for-13 with a double and an RBI. Bucknell also started four different pitchers in the four games last season.
Up Next
Bucknell plays a midweek non-conference doubleheader against Saint Francis at Becker Field on Tuesday, April 12. Game one is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., and both contests will be shown on ESPN+.
