Bucknell Softball Drops Pair to Lehigh - BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Bucknell Softball Drops Pair to Lehigh

Bison Lose 5-1 and 9-2 to Mountain Hawks

Lauren Litts hit her second home run of the season in the second game against Lehigh Sunday.

March 27, 2005

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

LEWISBURG, Pa. - After managing eight hits while being swept in a doubleheader against Lehigh Saturday, the Bucknell softball team increased its hit figure to nine in two games Sunday, but it was not enough as the Mountain Hawks posted their second consecutive doubleheader sweep over the Bison. Bucknell fell 5-1 in the first game and 9-2 in the second at West Fields.

Bucknell (4-9 overall, 0-4 Patriot League) lost to Lehigh (18-3, 4-0 PL) for the 19th and 20th consecutive times as the Mountain Hawks won their 12th and 13th straight games this season.

Freshman pitcher Christie Wiest had a solid showing in the first game as she limited the powerful Lehigh offense that averaged seven runs per game in the four contests this weekend to just two runs in the first six innings. However, the Mountain Hawks touched Wiest, who registered her second complete game of the season, for three runs in the top of the seventh. Three of the first four hitters in the inning reached on singles, while a two-out two-RBI double by Mary Wieder was the big blow in the inning.

Wieder, who was 3-for-4, was one of three Lehigh players to have at least three hits in the game as Kate Marvel was 4-for-4 with three runs scored from her leadoff position and Kelly Kliewer was 3-for-4 from the clean-up spot. That trio accounted for 10 of the Mountain Hawks' 12 hits.

Wiest, who fell to 2-2 this season, limited Lehigh to just two runs and eight hits through the first six innings. She finished the game allowing five runs, all earned, 12 hits, no walks and three strikeouts.

Bucknell, which sent more than four batters to the plate in an inning only once, scattered its four hits throughout the game as the Bison had just two runners reach third base. The first was Ashley Sarnecky in the third inning. She led off with a double to left field that one-hopped the fence. She moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Michelle Danish. Jill Pompeii was hit by a pitch from Lehigh starter Heather Hamasaki to set up a first and third situation and the chance to tie the score at 1-1 with one out. Pompeii promptly stole second, but Sarnecky strolled too far off of third and was gunned down by the shortstop, Mendy Martin, when the catcher, Wieder, threw to second.

Megan Fink, who pinch hit for Danish in the sixth scored the only run of the game for the Bison. She led off the inning and reach on an error by second baseman Jessica Young. Pompeii bunted Fink to second. Fink advanced to third on a wild pitch by Hamasaki and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Heather Haskin.

Like Wiest, Hamasaki pitched a complete game. She allowed just the one run on four hits and struck out three.

Bucknell struggled with errors early in the nightcap and Lehigh plated four runs in the top of the second off starter Lisa Vaccaro to take a 5-2 lead.

The Mountain Hawks got on the board in the top of the first when two of the first three hitters reached base on errors by Lauren Wible and Kris Devore. Marvel reached on Wible's miscue and moved to second with her sixth stolen base of the season. After advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt, she scored when Devore booted Jessica Young's grounder to her at shortstop.

Bucknell did take its first lead of the series in the bottom of the first when Lauren Litts smashed her second home run of the season, a two-run shot, over the left-center field fence.

Vacarro could not hold the lead as Lehigh sent eight batters to the plate in the second inning and scored four runs. Julie Sterrett led off the inning with a solo home run. Vaccaro then allowed three straight hitters to reach base via singles, and after Young reached on a fielder's choice, Kliewer hit a two-run double over the head of Pompeii in center field. Julie Williams then came into the game for the Bison and struck out Wieder to end the inning.

Bucknell did not have more than four hitters reach the plate the rest of the game as it tallied five hits overall, two in the first inning. Emily Ling, who limited Bucknell to one hit and no runs in five innings in the series' opening game, pitched the final four innings for the Mountain Hawks and struck out the first six batter she faced. She finished with eight strikeouts and allowed only a double to Wible in the sixth inning.

Lehigh did tack on one more run in the fourth inning, and three more in the sixth, off of Williams. After Taryn Hanley, Young and Stephanie Palmieri had three consecutive hits to open the top of the sixth, Wiest entered the game for the Bison. She gave up a single to Lauren Haney, but then retired the final six batters she faced.

Wible, Bucknell's leading hitter at .424 entering the doubleheader, had the best day at the plate for the Bison as she went 3-for-5 to raise her team-leading batting average to .447. Litts, Alyssa Schneebaum and Sarnecky also registered two hits apiece to account for Bucknell's total of nine in the two games.

Vaccaro was addled with the loss in the nightcap as she fell to 1-3. Ling was credited with the win after entering the game for Kate Arico. Arico allowed four hits and two runs in her 3.0 innings of work.

Bucknell returns to non-conference play with a doubleheader against Siena Tuesday, March 29, at 3 p.m. The games will take place at West Fields.