Softball Seeing Red This Week in a Pair of Doubleheaders Against Cornell and Saint Francis

Tuesday, March 24

Ithaca, N.Y.

2:30 p.m.

Bucknell University

Cornell

Photo by: Isabelle Roes

Softball Seeing Red This Week in a Pair of Doubleheaders Against Cornell and Saint Francis

3/23/2026 4:08:00 PM | Softball

LEWISBURG, Pa.- Bucknell Softball (4-21) takes a momentarily break from conference action this week to play two non-conference doubleheaders against Cornell (7-11) on March 24 and Saint Francis (1-26) on March 26. The Bison earned the series victory against Holy Cross and have won three out of four games. The Cornell doubleheader is rescheduled from March 18. All four games will be streamed on ESPN+.

The Starting Lineup
What: Doubleheader at Cornell
Where: Niemand-Robison Softball Field (Ithaca, N.Y.)
When: March 24

The Starting Lineup
What: Doubleheader vs. Saint Francis
Where: Becker Field (Lewisburg, Pa.)
When: March 26

Stackhouse's Statement

"This week's non-conference matchups against Cornell and Saint Francis is a great opportunity for us to keep building. We're going to use these games to get people moving, create some lineup flexibility, and continue gaining valuable experience in different situations. Every inning matters as we prepare for Patriot League play, and this sets us up well for our next conference matchup against Boston University. It is all about staying sharp, growing our confidence, and continuing to take steps forward as a team."

Bucknell Schedule (All Times EST)

Tuesday, March 24
2:30 p.m. | at Cornell | Live Stats | ESPN+
4:30 p.m. | at Cornell | Live Stats | ESPN+

Thursday, March 26
2 p.m. | vs. Saint Francis | Live Stats | ESPN+
4 p.m. | vs. Saint Francis | Live Stats | ESPN+

The Inside "Herd" on the Bison

Bucknell started conference play on a high note with two wins over Holy Cross. The Bison won the first game 2-1, dropped the second contest 4-1, but rebounded in the rubber match for the thrilling 8-7 victory.
In game one, Avery Powers and Nina Barrouk, returning from injury, combined to hold the Crusaders to one run in seven innings. The offense bunched together enough hits with Sarah Zimmerman's RBI and Barbara Jo Coppola's RBI single providing the winning margin.
The Bison drew nine walks but stranded 12 batters in the 4-1 loss to the Crusaders.
The Orange & Blue and the Purple & White traded leads in the see-saw 8-7 contest but the Bison, after being walked off multiple times in 2026, finally did the same to an opponent. Powers started and provided three innings of one run ball. Payton Hall tossed a scoreless inning and Zimmerman pitched the final three frames. The teams were tied 1-1 when the fun began. Brooke Popella's two-run double gave Bucknell a 3-1 lead. Holy Cross responded with a three-run blast. Zimmerman counterattacked with her own three-run bomb. The Crusaders regained the 7-6 lead with a three-run outburst in the seventh inning. Bucknell rallied for the win. Angelina Seropian notched a sacrifice fly and Nicole Lioumis broke her 0-for-39 stretch with an RBI single into left-center field.
Powers won Patriot League Pitcher of the Week for her eight inning performance of two-run ball and 11 strikeouts. With Powers' win, Bucknell players have now won every single weekly award (Player, Pitcher, and Rookie) for the first season since 2019. Zimmerman won Player on Feb. 23 and Coppola won Rookie on March 9.
Powers leads the Bison in innings (71.1), strikeouts (57), and wins (3). Her 57 Ks are second in the conference.
Brooke Popella collected two hits to reach 100 in her career. The Bison junior golfed a rolling double into the right center field gap in game three, giving the Bison a 3-1 lead. Her accomplishment marks back-to-back seasons where a Bucknell batter reached 100 career hits. Haley Speicher recorded the feat last year.

Overview of the Opposition

Cornell- The Big Red are 7-11 overall and 2-4 in Ivy League competition. They were recently swept by Princeton and outscored 30-4 with two games ending early due to the run-rule. Four Cornell batters are hitting better than .400 - led by Lauren Holt's .481 average. Holt also leads in home runs (6) and RBIs (20). The Big Red mainly rely on two pitchers, Madalyn Covelli and Mila Fiordalisi, who have thrown 86.1 of the team's 109.2 innings.
Saint Francis- The Red Flash are 1-26 overall and 1-5 in NEC play, one year after making the NCAA Regionals. Central Connecticut State recently swept SFU and won the final game 22-8. Sofia Zielinski continues to have a career year, batting .448 with ten home runs and 27 RBIs. The Saint Francis pitching staff has been hammered hard, recording a 9.13 ERA, and only inducing 45 strikeouts in 156.2 innings.

History with the Foes

Cornell- Bucknell is 7-10 all-time against the Big Red. The series started back in 1994. The Bison won the most recent meetings - a doubleheader in 2018.
Saint Francis- Bucknell owns the 31-30 series lead against the Red Flash. The Keystone State rivalry dates back to 1987 - SFU's second season of competition. This will be the final meeting in the foreseeable future as Saint Francis drops down to Division III play in 2027. The Red Flash have won the last 11 games.

Up Next

Bucknell ships up to Massachusetts for a Easter weekend series at Boston.