Category: Sports

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Sports

Men’s golf finishes 11th of 16

By Cooper Sutton

Sports Editor

At the Rutherford Intercollegiate in State College, Pa. last weekend, the men’s golf team finished 11th out of 16 teams playing with a score of 933. Penn State finished first with a score of 880.

Individually, Dan Bernard ’13 led the team in scoring for the tournament, posting 77, 74 and 78 on the first, second and third days respectively. His total score of 229 was good enough to place him 31st overall. 

Schuyler Stitzer ’14 and Ben Mattingly ’11 followed close behind Bernard, both finishing at 235. Stitzer’s 74 on Sunday, the final day of the tournament, led all Bison players for the day.

At the top of the leader boards, T.J. Howe of Penn State finished an individual first, shooting 70, 73 and 73 in each respective round. His score was one stroke better than the second-place finisher, Jake Katz of Binghamaton.

In the team competition, Penn State was able to hold off a hot Towson Tigers team that was right on the heels of the Nittany Lions, shooting a team 287 on Sunday. This score put the Tigers in second for the tournament and was the best single round score for any team throughout the entire weekend.

The Bison will continue their season next weekend in Annapolis, Md. at the Navy Invitational.

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Sports

Softball suffers 0-4 weekend

By Lindsay Regruto

Staff Writer

The softball team suffered a tough weekend, going 0-4 in its second Patriot League series on the road at Colgate.

The Bison took a close loss in the last game of the series on Sunday falling 5-4 to the Raiders. The Orange and Blue came out ready to play sending all three Raiders back to the dugout in order in the first. Colgate answered by taking a 2-0 lead by the fourth. The Bison rallied in the fourth with Jessie Snyder ’11 putting the first run on the board for the team. Alison Ford ’11 and Elyse Colmenero ’11 each doubled to bring in a run, putting the Bison in the lead 3-2. By the seventh inning, the Raiders had taken a two-run lead over the Orange and Blue. The Bison rallied in the seventh but put only one more run on the board before the last out.

The Orange and Blue suffered another tough loss earlier on Sunday falling 9-0 to the Raiders in their first game of the day. Colgate’s offense came out strong, taking a 6-0 lead over the Bison by the third inning. The team managed to put runners in scoring position in the first three innings but could not bring anyone around. The Bison defense held off the Raiders until the sixth inning, but the offense could not find momentum of their own. Colgate plated three more runs in the sixth that went unanswered by the Orange and Blue for the sweep.

On Saturday the Bison dropped their second game 5-2 to the Raiders. Both teams were slow to start with the game remaining scoreless until the fourth inning. Colgate was the first to put runs on the board,  gaining a 3-0 lead over the Bison. Snyder led off the fifth inning with a single and eventually made it around, giving the Orange and Blue their first run of the game. In the sixth inning, Mallory Lyons ’14 led off with a single and was brought home off a single by Kathryn Wilkinson ’13 to close the gap. The Raiders increased their lead with two more runs in the sixth. The Bison could not answer with any more runs of their own to give the Raiders a second win.

Earlier in the day, Colgate broke open the first game early in their 3-2 win over the Bison posting three runs in the first inning. The Bison were quick to answer in the second. Ford led off the inning taking advantage of Colgate’s errors to advance to second. Colmenero drove Ford in with her first home run of the season to make it a one run game. Alex Maclean ’13 held the Raiders back from the mound allowing only one hit in the last five innings. The Orange and Blue offense could not rally giving Colgate their first win of the series.

The team’s games against St. Francis were postponed until Thursday afternoon. The Bison will be on the road again to face Holy Cross tomorrow and Sunday.

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Featured Sports

Clark ’13 blasts three homers in series

By Chris McCree

Writer

Despite notable individual efforts from Travis Clark ’13 and Doug Shribman ’11, the men’s baseball team dropped three of four during this weekend’s pivotal four-game series at Holy Cross.

“We knew Holy Cross was a very good baseball team going into the weekend, and we felt prepared to compete with them,” David Duffett ’12 said. “They got off to a fast start and scored some runs early to open up the weekend. We knew we were in for a battle.”

During day two of the series, the Bison didn’t fare as well as they had hoped, losing both games, including a heartbreaking 6-5 loss in game three.

During the final game of the series, Shribman belted two home runs and batted in six runs, but the Bison still fell by a 13-7 margin. Starter Jack Boehm ’12 lasted just one inning on the mound, allowing five runs. The pitching woes continued throughout the game as the Bison used five different pitchers over the course of the contest.

Facing a 3-0 deficit after the first inning of play in game three, the Bison battled back to tie the game in the fifth thanks to a crucial two-RBI double by Bob Donato ’12 and three hits by Duffett. Unfortunately, a late-inning Orange and Blue error allowed the Crusaders to regain a one-run lead and hold on for the victory.

After splitting the first day of play one game apiece, the series showed every indication that it would be a great battle. On the day, each team recorded their own 8-5 victory, yet in very different ways.

Game two stayed tight the entire game, setting the stage for an unlikely hero to bring home the victory for the Bison. Going into the eighth, the two teams were squared at five runs apiece yet with one swing of the bat, Clark was able to break the tie with his third home run of the day. Amazingly, Clark had not hit a home run in his career as a Bison coming into the series, yet he managed three in one day, including the very important game-breaking home run in game two. Donato had a home run of his own in the fifth inning as the Bison continued to use the long ball to their advantage.

In game one, the Crusaders got out to an early lead and never looked back. The Bison received a shaky pitching performance from Dylan Seeley ’11, giving up eight earned runs in 4.2 innings and recorded three of their five runs in the last two innings, when the game was already out of hand.

With the three losses on the weekend, the Bison now find themselves in a difficult spot at the bottom of the Patriot League.

“We were surprised that we didn’t win at least two games,” Donato said. “We are now at a point where every game matters. It’s time to bear down and focus on what we need to accomplish as a team.”

This weekend, the Bison will travel to Navy for a four-game series.

“We know what has to be done now, and we are very close to putting it all together,” Clark said. “Everyone’s pretty confident that with a few adjustments we can win the next three series and grab a spot in the playoffs.”

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Sports

Women’s tennis wins two in league play

By Joyce Novacek

Writer

The women’s tennis team had a busy week of play, losing to Army at home on Saturday (0-7), and then sweeping Lafayette at home on Sunday and Lehigh on the road Tuesday afternoon, both 7-0. The Bison finished off Patriot League play with a record of 3-2, and are 9-10 overall.

The Orange and Blue put up a fight but ultimately fell to the Black Knights. In doubles play, Dara Dwojewski ’11 and Elena Vidrascu ’14 were the only Bison pair to win more than one game, but lost 8-2. In singles play, Courtney Casey ’12 and Lauren Lucido ’11 each forced their opponents into a third set, but neither was able to clench the point.

“Although we suffered a tough loss against Army, everyone on our team put out a strong effort and all the matches were close,” Casey said. “This shows us that we have the potential to win the Patriot League Tournament if we put all our nerves aside next weekend and go out there and play our hardest.”

The Bison rebounded from their loss on Saturday to sweep the Lafayette Leopards at home on Senior Day. Lucido, who was recently named Patriot League Women’s Tennis Player of the Month, did not allow a single game to her foe, defeating Allie Serranko in first singles 6-0, 6-0.

Fellow seniors Lauren Rottkamp and Dwojewski, who were honored before the match with Lucido, also won third and sixth singles, respectively.

The Bison traveled to Lehigh on Tuesday to continue their winning streak, defeating the Mountain Hawks 7-0.  Dumitrita Iepuras ’12 and Lucido took first doubles, Daria Tuzhikova ’13 and Casey won second doubles, and Dwojewski and Vidrascu took third.

The Bison also dominated singles play against Lehigh, where Lucido, Iepuras, Rottkamp, Casey and Dwojewski each won in straight sets.

Although the Lehigh competition wrapped up regular-season Patriot League for the Bison, they will compete against Georgetown and Bloomsburg before traveling to Annapolis, Md. where Navy will host the Patriot League Tournament April 22-24.

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Sports

Men’s tennis takes down two league opponents

By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

The men’s tennis team continued its march through the Patriot League at home last weekend with a dominating 6-1 win against Lafayette  and a tooth-and-nail victory over Lehigh 5-2 as it heads into the tournament.

On senior day against Lafayette, Mark Malloy ’11 and Anton Kovic ’11, the Bison’s dynamic duo, continued to show their ability to lead the Orange and Blue to the best campaign since 2008.

The Orange and Blue started the match by taking the doubles points with wins from the first and third pairings.

The Bison continued with brilliant play from Gregg Cohenca ’12, Evan Zimmer ’13, Kyle Rosen ’14, Malloy and Josh Katten ’13 in singles play. Even Kovic, falling at the second singles position, lost an extremely tight match 7-5, 5-7 (10-3). The day overall was completely dominated by the Bison.

“The cold weather does make it hard for our team to compete with other Patriot League opponents who do have indoor facilities,” Katten said. “While it does impede our practice, our guys have done a great job of making use with the hand that we have been dealt.”

Uncharacteristically, the Orange and Blue fell behind early as they dropped the doubles matches to Lehigh, allowing them to take a 1-0 lead.

“After losing the doubles point, we came out strong in singles,” Malloy said. “It just shows that no matter what happens at the beginning of the match, if you continue to play your game and have confidence in the team, we will come away with the win.”

Kovic was the first to secure a victory for the team, taking care of his opponent handily in straight sets. Next, Malloy retired his opponent also in straight sets to put the Bison back on the right side of the scoreboard.

Rosen, Zimmer and Cohenca rounded out the scoring for the Bison, helping to shut the door on any  of a Mountain Hawk comeback.

“This definitely builds confidence in that we know we can win close matches. It also teaches us not to take anyone lightly, too,” Morque said.

The next and possibly most important event for the Orange and Blue this season will be the Patriot League Tournament held at Lehigh University. The Bison will battle perennial foes Navy and Army in hopes of securing an NCAA berth.

“This year, the Patriot League Championship is up for grabs. The gap between all the teams is very tight, and on any given day, any team can come away with the win,” Malloy said.

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Sports

Bison Athlete of the Week : Alison Ford ’11

By Cooper Sutton

Sports Editor

Allison Ford ’11

Biography

Position: 1B/3B

Class: Senior

Hometown: Suisun City, Calif.

Major: Early Childhood Education

 

Stats

Hits: 7

At Bats: 12

BB: 1

RBI: 5

HR: 2

(with a 2B)

 

In four games over the past weekend, Alison Ford ’11 hit two homeruns to move into a tie for third place in Bison softball history with 12 dingers. In her 13 plate appearances, she hit .583 with a .615 on base percentage.

Along with her efficiency in getting on base, she also hit for a lot of power. Her homers were also accompanied by a double to give her an impressive slugging percentage of 1.417.

Ford was integral to her team’s success this weekend, her five RBIs accounting for 42 percent of the Bison runs over the weekend series. Unfortunately, the Bison only took one of the four games, but her contributions significantly increased the level of her team’s play.

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Sports

Men’s golf finishes second in invitational

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

The men’s golf team put together a balanced team attack en route to a second place finish at the Wilmington University Spring Classic Frog Hollow Golf Club in Middletown, Del on Saturday.

The Bison finished with a team total of 582 for the 36-hole tournament, while first-place Wilmington complied a score of 564. Joe Szmadzinski ’13 and Dan Bernard ’13 led the Orange and Blue with scores of 144 each, good for a tie for fourth place.

“About the tournament itself, the course wasn’t particularly long on paper but the windy, cold weather conditions made it play quite a bit longer,” Szmadzinski said. “Being able to hit shots that stayed under the wind and taking advantage of the reachable par fives were both key to shooting low scores out there.”

Will Bachman ’12 was close behind at 146, placing him in a tie for ninth overall.

“Overall, the Wilmington Invite was a big step in the right direction for our team, and I think we all gained a great deal of confidence and momentum heading into the home stretch of our championship season,” Szmadzinski said. “Hopefully we can continue to compete at a high level this weekend at Penn State and have our hard work translate into success at Patriot Leagues.”

The men return to action starting today to compete in the Penn State Invitational this weekend in State College, Pa.

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Sports

Women’s rowing finishes second across the board

By Thomas Walter

Contributing Writer

In their two matches this weekend, the women’s rowing team’s openweights finished second in all races in New Rochelle, N.Y., and the lightweights traveled to Princeton, N.J. where they also finished second against Princeton and MIT.

The Bison openweights struggled to find a win in either of their races against Columbia. The varsity eight finished 10 seconds behind Columbia, while the second varsity eight finished less than a second behind the Lions. The varsity four finished seven seconds behind their opponent. In the second varsity four event, the”B” boat took second place, nine seconds behind Columbia, and the “A” boat took third place, nine seconds behind the “B” team.

“We rowed well into a strong headwind and against the current, making it more difficult and causing times to increase,” Ally Rivard ’14 said.

The lightweights had a similarly challenging day, finishing in second place in both of their races. The varsity lightweight eight finished 16 seconds behind Princeton’s lightweights but 24 seconds in front of MIT. The second varsity eight finished just over 10 seconds behind Princeton. MIT finished third.

Next up for the Orange and the Blue is another split meet when the lightweights will row at the Knecht Cup, and the openweights will head to Griggs Reservoir in Ohio.

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Sports

Ford ’11 moves into tie for third on all-time homer list

By Lindsay Regruto

Staff Writer

Alison Ford ’11 now stands tied for third in program history with 12 home runs after the softball team’s four-game series at home against Lehigh last weekend. The Bison went on to drop the double header to Lehigh on Saturday but managed to split on Sunday.

Despite dropping the first game 2-1, Ford’s first home run of the day put the Bison on the scoreboard first in the second inning. Bridget Gates ’13 sent all three batters back in order in the first three innings to hold the lead. The Mountain Hawks found success in the fifth inning, scoring both runs to take the lead. The Orange and Blue put players on base in the next innings but could not bring them around.

“As far as this past weekend goes, I think our bats are starting to come around, and we were able to get an important win against Lehigh,” Ford said. “They are a tough opponent, and the win against them in our last game of the weekend will give us good momentum to take on Colgate this weekend.”

The Orange and Blue came up short in their second game falling 7-5 to the Mountain Hawks again. Lehigh was the first to put a run on the board early in the first inning. Mary Horton ’13 and Lauren Fry ’11 both singled to get on base and were later brought in by another home run by Ford. The Orange and Blue’s lead was cut short with Lehigh scoring again to take a 4-3 lead over the Bison. In the bottom of the fifth, the Bison offense rallied to close the gap to 7-5 but could not bring enough people around by the seventh to grab the win.

The Orange and Blue dropped a close game 3-1 on Sunday to the Mountain Hawks in the first game of the double header. Lehigh took a 1-0 lead early on, and the score remained at a standstill until the sixth inning. Ford scored off a two out RBI-double by Elyse Colmenero ’11 to tie the score, tying Colmenero for 10th all-time in the program. Later in the sixth, Leigh managed two runs off the Bison to give them the lead and the win.

The final game of the day proved successful for the Bison as they defeated the Mountain Hawks 5-3. The game remained scoreless until the second inning when the Mountain Hawks put their first two runs on the board. The Orange and Blue started off the fifth inning with a run of their own. A two RBI-double by Kara Sullivan ’11 to left center resulted in a tie score. It came down to the last inning with score still tied. Fry reached based on a fielder’s choice, and Ford’s double put her into scoring position. A fielding error off Mallory Lyons ’14 brought both girls around to give the Bison the win.

The game on Tuesday against Coppin State was postponed due to weather. The Bison will be back on the field tomorrow and Sunday in Hamilton, N.Y. against Colgate.

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Sports

Baseball drops four of five in homestand

By Chris McCree

Writer

The baseball team dropped four of five to Marist and Lafayette in a homestand last weekend, with three of the losses coming against its Patriot League rival.

During the weekend’s four-game series, the Orange and Blue were outscored 24-to-21 by Lafayette and quickly fell to a League record of 1-3. To add to the struggles, the Bison fell to Marist 13-1 to finish up their five-game home-stand. Against the Red Foxes, the Bison never found their groove, going through eight different pitchers and serving up 16 walks.

“Obviously this week did not go the way that we wanted it to g,o as we are trying to repeat as Patriot League Champions,” Trey Frahler ’11 said. “We made too many mistakes, and they were able to capitalize on them.”

The Bison got off to a slow start, losing 11-5 during the first of two games on Saturday. The team fell behind 7-0 after the top of the fourth, but pulled within two before the Leopards tacked on four more insurance runs.

Game two was a completely different story as the Bison recorded 11 runs of their own and received an impressive pitching performance by Ryan Ebner ’12 to record their only win of the week 11-2. Ebner continued his string of impressive outings by going seven innings and allowing just two runs to claim his fourth victory of the year. Offensively, the Bison outhit the Leopards 15-5 thanks, in large part, to impressive individual performances by Bob Donato ’12 and Matt Lamore ’12 who combined for seven hits and six RBIs.

The Orange and Blue followed this strong offensive performance by outhitting the Leopards 17-16 during Sunday’s doubleheader, but still lost both games. During game three’s 5-2 loss, Gerry Runyan ’12 had a team-high three hits, but the team fell behind early and never fought their way back. Similarly, in game four, the Bison couldn’t overcome an early four-run deficit and lost 6-3.

“As much as it is tough to start going 1-3, we have not lost our confidence,” Frahler said. “We know now that we have our work cut out for us. One of our goals was to win every series in the regular season and post-season, but now we are going to have to work even harder to come dig ourselves out of this hole.”

The Bison will continue Patriot League play this weekend as they travel to Holy Cross for an important four-game series. Although it is still early in Patriot League play, a loss to the last-place Crusaders would be a serious hit to the Bison’s title chances.

“Our team in the past few years has done a great job at rebounding after tough weekends, and we plan on doing that this weekend and the rest of the year,” Frahler said.