LEWISBURG, Pa. – Lafayette had early leads in both halves of Saturday's Patriot League doubleheader, but dropped 5-3 and 5-4 decisions on the road at Becker Field.
In second inning of game one, junior
Kristen Brown staked the Leopards to a 3-0 lead, smashing a 2-2 offering over the wall for her first home run of the season.
The hosts got one run back in the home half of the second, scoring a run when the Leopards turned a 6-6-3 doubleplay. Lafayette led 3-1.
That lead held until the fifth inning. The Bison put the lead runner aboard, but Leopard starter
Morrigan Gardiner got the next two outs. Bucknell then ran off three straight singles, with Kailyn Lorbeter scoring a pair of runs to push Bucknell ahead 4-3. The Leopards went to the bullpen, bringing in
Kailee Sawai for Gardiner. Sawai gave up an RBI-single before getting the third out of the inning with Bucknell leading 5-3.
The Leopards managed just one hit in the final two innings, a
Paige Sandidge single in the sixth, before Bucknell closed out the game.
Garidner took the loss, allowing five runs on eight hits with three walks and strikeout. Kaiya Burton claimed the win for Bucknell, tossing the final four innings while scattering two hits with five strikeouts.
In game two, Bucknell erased Lafayette's 4-1 advantage with four runs in the seventh inning en route to a 5-4 final.
In the first inning, freshman
Kylee Sweet singled and later scored on an error for the early lead. Lafayette stretched its margin to 2-0 in the second, as Sandidge singled in
Kylene Gooch who had pinch run for Brown after her lead-off single.
Lafayette led 2-1 entering the fourth and promptly scored two more runs. Rookie
Grace Hausamann plated a run with a single up the middle, and following a pitching change, sophomore
Harlie Bickett sent the Leopards to a 4-1 margin via a fielder's choice.
Leopard starter
Jacqueline Cal made it through the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings without allowing another run, but the Bucknell bats began to heat up in the seventh. The Bison banged out four runs on five hits to complete the rally. The Bison pulled within 4-3 when as Leopards recorded the second out of the inning. With runners at first and second and two outs, Savannah Jones ended the game with a double that plated two for the 4-3 final.
Cal took the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits with three walks. Burton's second relief appearance of the day netted her the win after throwing the final 3.2 innings.
The teams close out the series on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for noon.
