March 14, 2008

Box Score

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - In its first of two games Friday at the Loyola Marymount Tournament, the Bucknell softball team lost to Illinois-Chicago by a 3-2 score. Facing a two-run deficit entering the bottom of the seventh inning, the Bison had runners on second and third with none out in the final frame, but were able to push across just one run.

Bucknell will play UC Santa Barbara at 6 p.m. (Eastern) to complete its second day of competition at the Loyola Marymount Tournament.

Bucknell (3-10) and Illinois-Chicago (6-14) combined for two runs in the first six innings and then plated a combined three runs in the final inning. The Flames, who had managed just three hits since the second inning, received back-to-back RBI singles from Ashlee Ackerman and Brooke Frydendall with one out in the seventh to take a 3-1 lead.

Bucknell's offense, which totaled six of its eight hits over the final three innings of play, had a solid start to the bottom of the seventh with Alison Ford (Suison, Calif./Fairfield) leading off with a single and Elyse Colmenero (Fresno, Calif./Central) doubling to left-center. Colmenero's extra-base hit, her second hit of the game, knocked UIC starter Carly DeMarco (3-8) from the game.

Reliever Lauren Brennan retired all three batters she faced to record her first save of the season. Sam Rollandi (San Carlos, Calif./Notre Dame Belmont) drove in Ford on a one-out groundout to second for Bucknell's second score of the game.

Christie Wiest (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley) fell to 2-6 this year as she registered her third consecutive complete game, and her seventh of the season. She yielded eight hits and two walks while not striking out a hitter for the second consecutive game. Wiest has not given up more than three earned runs in any of her 10 appearances this season.

The Bison registered eight hits in the game, all against DeMarco. It is the third-most hits in a game for Bucknell this year. Freshmen accounted for five of the hits with Ford and Colmenero each going 2-for-3 and Rollandi adding a single and two runs batted in. Senior Erin Curatola (River Edge, N.J./River Dell) also posted a two-hit game.

The Bison will try to get their first win on their Spring Break trip later in the day on Friday against UC Santa Barbara, which sported a 12-11 record and a two-game winning streak entering Friday's play.