By Lindsay Regruto
Staff Writer
Alex MacLean ’13 earned Patriot League Softball Pitcher of the Week while Alison Ford ’11 smashed a grand slam with a career-best seven RBIs in two games to leading the softball team to a 2-2 split at Holy Cross last weekend.
MacLean posted a 2-1 record for the week with a 2.67 ERA. The sophomore now totals 92 strikeouts, with an overall career total of 184. While MacLean led her team defensively, Ford’s grand slam put it ahead for the win in their first game on Saturday.
The Bison were unstoppable offensively on Saturday, defeating the Crusaders 14-6 in the first game of the series. The Orange and Blue wasted no time and had two runs on the board by the top of the first. Holy Cross answered with four runs of their own to take an early 4-2 lead. The Bison rallied quickly in the seventh inning to retake the lead. Jessie Snyder ’11 had a two-out, two-RBI double to tie the game. RBIs by Lauren Fry ’11 and Ford increased the gap, and the second inning ended with the Bison ahead 7-4. Bridget Gates ’13 retired the side to hold the Holy Cross offense at bay.
Ford crushed a pitch for a grand slam to center field, bringing the Bison to a decisive 11-4 lead in the third. The Orange and Blue closed the game with two more runs, allowing Holy Cross only two more as well. Snyder and Fry also had a big game at the plate with Snyder going 3-4 and Fry 2-3 with four runs scored and three RBIs.
The Orange and Blue continued their winning streak with a second win 4-3 over the Crusaders on Saturday. Holy Cross took an early lead in the first, putting one run on the board. The Bison came back with four runs in the second to take the lead 4-1. The Bison offense tried to rally later in the game but was unable to put any more runs on the board. The defense only allowed the Crusaders one more for the rest of the game, giving the Bison their first back-to-back Patriot League wins of the season.
The Orange and Blue were unable to sustain their stellar offense, falling 4-2 to Holy Cross in the first game on Sunday. Holy Cross was the first to clear the goose eggs off the board posting four runs in the first three innings. An RBI by Fry in the third brought Sam Rollandi ’11 around the bases to shrink the gap. The Bison kept swinging but could not turn any hits into runs until the sixth. The Orange and Blue scored one more run in the bottom of the sixth to make it a two-run game. It was not enough, and the Crusaders took the win.
The Bison also dropped the last game of the series to Holy Cross 2-0 on Sunday. Neither team started off strong–the game remained scoreless until the fourth inning. The Crusaders posted two runs in the top of the inning. They would be the only runs for either team, giving the Crusaders a small victory over the Bison to end the day.
The Bison will be back on the field to host Lafayette tomorrow and Sunday.