Softball Travels to Hamilton for Important Weekend at Colgate

Saturday, May 2

Hamilton, N.Y.

Noon

Bucknell University

Colgate

Photo by: Steven Schoenfelder

Softball Travels to Hamilton for Important Weekend at Colgate

5/1/2026 1:11:00 PM | Softball

LEWISBURG, Pa.- Bucknell Softball (9-32-1, 6-9 Patriot League) enters the final weekend of conference play at Colgate (24-24, 10-5 Patriot League) seeking its fourth straight Patriot League Tournament bid. The league allows four teams into the tournament and three of the bids have been claimed by Boston - the regular season champion -, Army, and Colgate. Bucknell, Holy Cross, Lafayette, and Lehigh are competing for the final spot with the Bison owning the inside track. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.

The Starting Lineup
What: Patriot League Series at Colgate
Where: Eaton Street Softball Complex (Hamilton, N.Y.)
When: May 2-3

Bucknell Schedule (All Times EST)

Saturday, May 2
Noon | at Colgate | Live Stats | ESPN+
2 p.m. | at Colgate | Live Stats | ESPN+

Sunday, May 3
Noon | at Colgate | Live Stats | ESPN+

Tournament Scenarios

If the Bison win out, the final spot belongs to the Orange & Blue. If Bucknell wins two games and finishes at 8-10, the Bison have the inside track for the final bid unless Lafayette sweeps Lehigh to also finish at 8-10. Lafayette has the head-to-head tiebreaker with Bucknell. If the Bison only win one game and Lehigh sweep Lafayette for the dual 7-11 finishes, Bucknell heads to the tournament. The easiest path on paper to the tournament is sweeping Colgate.

The Inside "Herd" on the Bison

Bucknell fell in two of three games against Army last weekend. The Bison dropped the first game 10-3, rebounded to win 6-5 in nine innings, and dropped the rubber match 8-2.
Army rolled in the first game, spoiling Mea Consentino's Senior Day start. The Black Knights bats asserted themselves for the cruising victory.
The Bison trailed 4-0 in game two after Army knocked out Avery Powers. Despite Payton Hale's shutout innings, Bucknell rallied for the 5-4 lead. Powers re-entered the game and, while she yielded a game-tying home run, the rookie braved the extra innings with scoreless aplomb. Barbara Jo Coppola delivered the game-winning hit to score Speicher.
Bucknell led 1-0 in the rubber match before Army scored eight unanswered runs. The Bison tallied one run in the bottom of the seventh to end the weekend on a hopeful note.
The Orange & Blue honored five seniors, Mea Consentino, Nicole Lioumis, Marissa Rapino, Angelina Seropian, and Haley Speicher, on Sunday. The senior class won 52 games and returned Bucknell to the Patriot League Tournament.
Brooke Popella's double-pace halted this past weekend but she still sits second in the conference with 17.
Three Bison are hitting above .300 - Popella (.315), Speicher (.323), and Sarah Zimmerman (.316).
Powers has won seven of Bucknell's nine victories. Zimmerman has picked up the other two.
Bucknell sits alone for fourth in the PL at 6-9. Lafayette is 5-10. Holy Cross and Lehigh are 4-11. Boston has already clinched homefield advantage and the league title at 16-2. Colgate is second at 10-5. Army is third at 9-6. The final tournament spot is up for grabs.
Boston has a conference bye for the final weekend. Army faces Holy Cross in a medieval battle. Bucknell duels Colgate. Lafayette-Lehigh resumes their climatic rivalry.

Overview of the Opposition

Colgate is 24-24 overall and 10-5 in conference and, unlike the previous years, will not miss out on the Patriot League Tournament due to last weekend heartbreak. The Raiders have turned Hamilton into a home run paradise with a conference-best 79 homers. Four Raiders have hit 10+ bombs, led by Nora Megenity's 20. Colgate lives and dies by the long ball. The team hits .275 and has only swiped 16 bases. Lily Haluska sits second with 14 dingers. The Raiders use mainly three pitchers - their fourth hurler has only thrown five innings - for a staff ERA of 4.78. Freshman Kelcie McGraw is the staff ace, throwing a team-high 125 innings for an 13-11 record and a 4.20 ERA.

History with the Foe

Bucknell leads the all-time series 69-63-1 and have won the last four games against the Raiders, including a decisive sweep at Becker Field last season. From 2015-2019, Bucknell won 15 straight against Colgate.

Up Next

Bucknell will either head to Boston for the Patriot League Tournament or prepare for the 2027 season.