Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
4-22
Cornell
8-11
Softball Drops Doubleheader to Cornell
3/24/2026 8:30:00 PM | Softball
ITHACA, N.Y.- Bucknell (4-23) dropped a pair of run-rule games 11-3 (5) and 10-2 (5) to Cornell (9-11) on Tuesday afternoon. The Bison led in both games before the Big Red rallied for two victories.
Game One Recap
The Bison seized an early 2-0 lead but the Big Red outscored the Orange & Blue 11-1 en route to a five-inning triumph.
Bucknell jumped out to the 2-0 advantage in the first inning. Sarah Zimmerman worked a walk and Haley Speicher sacrificed her to second. Barbara Jo Coppola strolled to the plate and deposited a pitch over the center field wall for her first collegiate home run.
Zimmerman started in the circle and lasted two innings.
Cornell scored a run in the first frame when Lauren Holt hit the first of her three home runs on the afternoon.
The Big Red added two runs in the second inning on a two-run single by Emma Harshberger.
Payton Hale entered the circle in the third inning and ran into a Big Red machine. A wild pitch scored the first run. A bunt single tallied the next score. Holt put an exclamation point on the inning with a grand slam.
Delailah Lopez poled a solo home run in the fourth inning.
Bucknell held off the run-rule for half an inning when Brooke Popella directed a double into the right center field gap to score Haley Speicher.
It only delayed the inevitable. Harshberger stroked an RBI single to end the game 11-3.
Game Two Recap
Bucknell led 2-1 in the contest before Cornell scored nine unanswered runs for the 10-2 (5) run-rule victory.
Mea Consentino received her first start of 2026 and pitched a scoreless first inning before the Big Red offense found its stroke.
Cornell opened the scoring in the second inning. Two singles and a sacrifice bunt set up a sacrifice fly opportunity.
Bucknell grabbed the lead in the third inning. Reagan Powell led off with a single. Haley Speicher followed with another single. Shea Malone sacrificed the duo. After a Barbara Jo Coppola grounder, Brooke Popella hit a grounder to the third baseman, who overthrew first, allowing both runners to score.
The lead did not last long. A single was followed by back-to-back home runs by Holt and Harshberger and Cornell led 4-2. A walk, a single, and a double tallied two more runs for the Big Red.
Cornell added another run in the fourth inning on a triple and sacrifice fly combo.
Rosanna Merturi recorded her first career hit – a solid single to right field – in the fifth inning.
The Big Red invoked the run-rule in their fifth frame. After two straight outs, a walk, a triple, a single, and a double ended the game at 10-2.
Up Next
Bucknell returns to Becker Field to face Saint Francis on March 26.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Fiordalisi, Mila (1-6)
L: Zimmerman, Sarah (1-10)
Batting:
2B: Popella, Brooke 1
HR: Coppola, Barbara Jo 1
RBI: Coppola, Barbara Jo 2 ; Popella, Brooke 1
SH: Speicher, Haley 1 ; Coppola, Barbara Jo 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Zimmerman, Sarah 1 ; Speicher, Haley 1 ; Coppola, Barbara Jo 1
CS: Coppola, Barbara Jo 1
HBP: McCutchan, Hailey 1
Batting:
2B: Cai, Charlize 1 ; Harshberger, Emma 1
HR: Holt, Lauren 2 ; Lopez, Delailah 1
RBI: Cai, Charlize 1 ; Holt, Lauren 5 ; Harshberger, Emma 3 ; Lopez, Delailah 1
SH: Cai, Charlize 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cai, Charlize 2 ; Holt, Lauren 2 ; Frans, Tarisa 1 ; Pirkey, Hailey 1 ; Lopez, Delailah 1 ; Ullensvang, Maddie 1 ; Hernandez, Sofia 2 ; Pressley, Addison 1
SB: Holt, Lauren 1
CS: Harshberger, Emma 1
HBP: Harshberger, Emma 1
