Thursday, May 8
West Point, N.Y.
11 a.m.
Bucknell University
17-29
2
at
3
#1 Army
34-20
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Bucknell
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
2
6
1
Army West Point
1
0
1
0
1
0
X
3
9
0
Softball's Rally Falls Heartbreakingly Short in 3-2 Contest Versus First Seed Army
5/8/2025 1:48:00 PM | Softball
WEST POINT, N.Y.- Fourth-seeded Bucknell (17-29) battled top-seeded Army (34-20) to a 3-2 defeat on Thursday afternoon. The Bison rallied from 3-0 down and had the tying run stationed on third base before two straight outs vanquished their comeback attempt.
Second Team All-Patriot Leaguer Savannah Jones pitched a complete game for the Bison and performed admirably against Army's battalion of star hitters, yielding only three runs (two earned). Two runs arrived via a wild pitch set-up and a throwing error.
Army's First Team pitcher Kaitlyn Flanders allowed one run through six innings before yielding a leadoff single in the seventh frame to Shea Malone. The Patriot League Coach of the Year Jen Consul substituted Second Team hurler Breanna Izzo. Bucknell rallied for a run, but Izzo doused the Bison's flames to save the game for Army.
The Black Knights scored in the first inning. Ava Aguilar started the game with a spectacular snag in left field. Taylor Brown singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. Ashton White's flyout advanced her to third. Caitlyn Newburn's single plated Brown and gave Army the 1-0 advantage.
Army tallied its second run in the third inning. A fielder's choice placed Annie Christina on first, and the Black Knight promptly stole second. Brown grounded out to shortstop Brooke Popella, who threw to first baseman MaKenzie Hilling for the out. Christina broke for third and Hilling's throw flew wide left of third baseman Molly Lawson and ricocheted off the wall. Christina scampered home for the 2-0 lead.
Army used a trio of singles in the fifth inning, with the final blow coming from White to add the precious insurance run, giving the Black Knights a solid 3-0 lead.
Bucknell battled back with a run in the sixth inning. Haley Speicher slapped a double down the left-field line. Aguilar reached on a fielder's choice when Army tried unsuccessfully to cut down Speicher bolting for third base. Popella delivered a sacrifice fly for the Bison's opening tally. Aguilar attempted to steal second but was cut down by a perfect throw.
The Bison fought to the bitter end. Malone led off with a single, forcing the Army pitching change. Hilling greeted Izzo with a double that narrowly missed clearing the wall. Bucknell had runners on second and third Lawson. The sophomore provided a sacrifice fly, scoring Malone. Zimmerman, who pinch ran for Hilling, advanced to third base. Angelina Seropian, whose fifth-inning double almost left the field, smacked a hard grounder to third, but the Army third baseman made a nice play to look back the runner and fire to first for the out. Skye Perez pinch hit for Bella Radican and was retired on a ground ball to end the game.
The Bison will face the loser of the Boston University-Lehigh game in the consolation bracket at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Bucknell will need to win out to obtain the Patriot League Tournament Title.
Second Team All-Patriot Leaguer Savannah Jones pitched a complete game for the Bison and performed admirably against Army's battalion of star hitters, yielding only three runs (two earned). Two runs arrived via a wild pitch set-up and a throwing error.
Army's First Team pitcher Kaitlyn Flanders allowed one run through six innings before yielding a leadoff single in the seventh frame to Shea Malone. The Patriot League Coach of the Year Jen Consul substituted Second Team hurler Breanna Izzo. Bucknell rallied for a run, but Izzo doused the Bison's flames to save the game for Army.
The Black Knights scored in the first inning. Ava Aguilar started the game with a spectacular snag in left field. Taylor Brown singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. Ashton White's flyout advanced her to third. Caitlyn Newburn's single plated Brown and gave Army the 1-0 advantage.
Army tallied its second run in the third inning. A fielder's choice placed Annie Christina on first, and the Black Knight promptly stole second. Brown grounded out to shortstop Brooke Popella, who threw to first baseman MaKenzie Hilling for the out. Christina broke for third and Hilling's throw flew wide left of third baseman Molly Lawson and ricocheted off the wall. Christina scampered home for the 2-0 lead.
Army used a trio of singles in the fifth inning, with the final blow coming from White to add the precious insurance run, giving the Black Knights a solid 3-0 lead.
Bucknell battled back with a run in the sixth inning. Haley Speicher slapped a double down the left-field line. Aguilar reached on a fielder's choice when Army tried unsuccessfully to cut down Speicher bolting for third base. Popella delivered a sacrifice fly for the Bison's opening tally. Aguilar attempted to steal second but was cut down by a perfect throw.
The Bison fought to the bitter end. Malone led off with a single, forcing the Army pitching change. Hilling greeted Izzo with a double that narrowly missed clearing the wall. Bucknell had runners on second and third Lawson. The sophomore provided a sacrifice fly, scoring Malone. Zimmerman, who pinch ran for Hilling, advanced to third base. Angelina Seropian, whose fifth-inning double almost left the field, smacked a hard grounder to third, but the Army third baseman made a nice play to look back the runner and fire to first for the out. Skye Perez pinch hit for Bella Radican and was retired on a ground ball to end the game.
The Bison will face the loser of the Boston University-Lehigh game in the consolation bracket at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Bucknell will need to win out to obtain the Patriot League Tournament Title.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Flanders, K. (12-3)
L: Jones, Savannah (8-9)
S: Izzo, B. (4)
Batting:
2B: Speicher, Haley 1 ; Hilling, MaKenzie 1 ; Seropian, Angelina 1
RBI: Popella, Brooke 1 ; Lawson, Molly 1
SF: Popella, Brooke 1 ; Lawson, Molly 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Speicher, Haley 1 ; Malone, Shea 1
CS: Aguilar, Ava 1
Batting:
RBI: White, A. 1 ; Newburn, C. 1
SH: Murchison, E. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Christiana,A 1 ; Brown, T. 1 ; Tepley, S. 1
SB: Christiana,A 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball1B
/ Softball
RHP/OF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
INF/U
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
C/IF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballBucknell Men's Basketball Post Game: November 3 vs. Delaware
Tuesday, November 04
Lafayette at Bucknell Volleyball Highlights 11-1-2025
Sunday, November 02
Lehigh at Bucknell Field Hockey Highlights 11-1-2025
Saturday, November 01
In The Herd: Season Opener Previews And Reese Zemitis And Quin Berger Features
Friday, October 31