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Female Athlete of the Year: Lauren Lucido ’11

Lauren Lucido '11, her collegiate career now complete, is first all-time on the women's tennis wins list.By Lindsay Regruto

Staff Writer

Leaving the pool in favor of the court, The Bucknellian’s Female Athlete of the Year, women’s tennis co-captain Lauren Lucido ’11 played in her first competitive tennis tournament at 10 years old. Lucido’s decision to play on land rather than in water paid off: she leaves the University with more wins than any female Bison tennis player before her.

When Lucido first stepped on the court for the Orange and Blue, it was the power behind her hits and her strong background as a USTA junior player that made the biggest initial impact on the team. Starting off strong, Lucido was also a Second Team All-Patriot League selection her first and second years. After going a perfect 11-0 her sophomore year, Lucido was selected as the Patriot League Player of the Month for September 2008.

Lucido’s dedication to the game and her team stems from a true love of the sport and the feeling of just being on the court.

“When I’m on the tennis court, it’s as if nothing else matters. For that bit of time, it’s just me and the ball,” Lucido said. “It’s therapeutic and a rush all at the same time.”

During her junior campaign, Lucido was named First Team All-Patriot League, finishing second on the team in overall wins in singles and leading the team in doubles victories. She ended her junior season with 14 straight singles wins for the sixth-longest single-season winning streak in program history.

“It’s very exciting and well-deserved that Lauren has been chosen for Athlete of the Year. After being her teammate for the past four years, it has been great to see her top the charts before completing our senior season,” teammate Dara Dwojewski ’11 said. “Her immense success as an athlete at Bucknell is certainly something to be proud of.”

Over Lucido’s four years, Head Coach Rebecca Helt said Lucido is one of her “most coachable players” and has watched Lucido not only improve but also demonstrate the drive and determination to develop into a totally new player. Her athletic ability has allowed her to internalize feedback over the years and pick up new skills quickly.

“She would be happy about a win, but never satisfied with her performance. She wanted to become a better player every single day,” Helt said. “She not only learned new skills, but as a junior and senior, Lauren took all her skills and became a brilliant competitor.”

Lucido’s competitive nature has driven her to win other awards and recognition along the way. After breaking the tennis all-time record for total wins this year, Lucido was granted her second Bison Athlete of the Week award. In March of this year, Lucido was named Patriot League Women’s Tennis Player of the Month for the fourth time in her career.

Her ability to self-motivate has proven invaluable throughout her career.

“You’re on the court by yourself, so if there’s anyone who’s going to motivate you and get you through the match, it’s you,” Lucido said. “I hate to lose, so when I’m out there on the tennis court, I’m going to try to do whatever it takes to win that match.”

Lucido has worked hard to earn the title of all-time leader in singles and doubles victories with 83 wins at doubles and 87 singles victories. She will finish her career as the winningest player in program history with 170 all time victories.

“One of my biggest goals for all players who come through my program is to help them learn to play ‘fearless’ tennis,” Helt said. “Over the years, Lauren became one of the most fearless competitors I’ve ever coached.  It was an amazing experience to watch Lauren mature into an all-court, solid player who never held back.”

Her accomplishments are a testament to her great talent on the court, but her commitment to her teammates is a testament to the type of player Lucido has become.

“The girls on my team aren’t just my teammates, they’re my friends. It’s not just you out there on the court. You have your teammates, and I think that’s a huge part of what made the whole college tennis experience so awesome for me,” Lucido said.

Her drive on the court has only been matched by her desire to push her teammates to be the best they can.

“Lauren has been an amazing co-captain, teammate and friend the past four years,” teammate Lauren Rottkamp ’11 said. “On the court, Lauren has always had great focus. Off the court, Lauren exudes a fun and energetic energy for the team and brings it to everything she does. Lauren is truly a wonderful teammate and friend.”

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Male Athlete of the Year: Mike Muscala ’13

Mike Muscala '13 provided the champion Bison basketball team with a much needed big man this year.By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

To his opponents, both non-conference and in the Patriot League, he is a dominant man who won just about every award the conference had to offer in 2011. To the rest of the country, he is a YouTube sensation with a flair for the dramatic. To those closer to home, including the Sojka Psychos and all the fans who pack Sojka Pavilion for every men’s basketball home game, he is “Moose.”

But, to those who know him best, like senior point guard and floor general Darryl Shazier ’11 and the rest of his teammates, Mike Muscala ’13 is a great player both on and off the court. After arguably one of the most impressive individual seasons in program history, it’s hard for anyone around the country to make a case otherwise.

Coming to the team last year from Saint Paul, Minn., Muscala, just a sophomore, started right away in his first season in a Bison uniform, struggling at times and not always playing up to his fullest potential. His rookie year ended with a loss to Holy Cross in the Patriot League Tournament, a game in which he scored just nine points. For Muscala, those shortcomings were just more fuel to get better in the off season.

“Every player has weaknesses, but I try to improve my game and get better every day,” Muscala said. “I think my best attribute is my work ethic. I may not always score a ton of points, but I’ve gotten better at contributing to the team and being a presence on the court whenever I’m out there. I’m a very competitive person and hate losing, even in practice. I try to use that and turn it into motivation to get better.”

Before the season started, there were a lot of questions surrounding his role on the team. But it didn’t take long for those who followed the Orange and Blue to notice a difference in Muscala’s game. Inside the paint, Muscala had become a dominating force. In 2009-2010, bigger and stronger defenders would outwork him for points and rebounds, but this season, Muscala began to win those battles and assert himself down low. In the Bison’s 15 contests before the start of 2011, Muscala had five 20-point performances and another double-digit rebounding game.

One night a few days after New Year’s in Richmond, Va., the 2011 season would change for Muscala and the Bison. In the Bison’s final road game before the start of their conference schedule, the Richmond Spiders had pinned them to the brink with two seconds left and trailing by one after a costly Orange and Blue turnover in the final moments of the game. With a chance to ice the game, the Spiders inexplicably missed two free throws, opening the door for a miracle.

With the trust of his team and the coaching staff behind him, the Bison drew up one last play to go to Muscala. Executing the sequence perfectly, Muscala caught a full-court pass and buried a fadeaway jumper to beat Richmond by one.

“Hitting that shot was a surreal experience,” Muscala said. ”We battled hard the whole game and the circumstances towards the end of it that even made it possible were crazy. Joe [Willman ’13] had a great pass to me that shouldn’t be forgotten. Since that was our last non-conference game before we headed into league play, it definitely gave us a huge boost moving forward.”

In that moment, Muscala had taken his game and the rest of his team to the next level.

With the video of the Richmond shot plastered all over YouTube, Muscala had become famous beyond the inner circles of the Bison basketball community, and his performance failed to disappoint. In his second game after the shot, Muscala scored a career-high 33 points to go along with 10 rebounds in a blowout of second-place American.

Muscala’s encore performance to the Richmond shot came in the following game when, on national television, he drained another buzzer beater, this time against rival Holy Cross, which was enough to get him on ESPN later that night.

“It was really cool for us to see that SportsCenter put it on its highlights,” Muscala said. “But what was great about our team is that it didn’t make us complacent. We kept working hard in practice and guys really stepped up in some crucial games.”

With Muscala playing at his peak and the team continuing to work hard, the Bison tore through its Patriot League schedule, losing just once in 14 tries against conference foes. He scored in double digits in all but two games. In just a few weeks, he had become the most dominant player in the Patriot League.

His impressive play and continual focus on improving was not lost on his teammates or coaches.

“Mike puts his teammates over himself, which is very important in gaining the trust of your leader,” Shazier said. “He makes the people around him better because of his lead by example mentality. When Mike is going hard at whatever it is the team is doing, it forces everyone else to match his energy and work ethic.”

It wasn’t just his own team that had taken notice. Over the course of the season, Muscala not only garnered the respect of opposing players and coaches, his play also earned him the Patriot League Player of the Year award and First Team All-Patriot League honors to cap off an impressive 2010-2011 campaign.

“Winning Player of the Year was definitely a big honor that was a goal of mine heading into the season,” Muscala said. “However, it’s really reflective of the team and all the hard work we put in every day.”

Together, Muscala and the rest of the men’s basketball team showed off their hard work with three consecutive victories in the Patriot League Tournament, none of them easy, to claim a spot in the NCAA Tournament. In the semifinal contest against Lehigh, Muscala saved his team’s season with two free throws and a key defensive stop in the final seconds to preserve the victory. Against Lafayette in the title game, Muscala led all scorers with 18 points, helping bring the title home to Lewisburg. With his performance in the three tournament games, Muscala took home another piece of hardware—Patriot League Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

“Winning that game against Lafayette, on ESPN2, in front of a crowded Sojka, nothing can beat that,” Muscala said. “It was the most memorable moment of my life and something I will certainly always cherish.”

The season had been an unforgettable one for Muscala, and the win against Lafayette gave him one more opportunity to lead the Bison—this time to the NCAA Tournament versus the Connecticut Huskies. Even though the Orange and Blue struggled against the eventual-champion Huskies, the experience of the Big Dance was a memorable one.

“Playing in the NCAA Tournament has always been a dream of mine, and it was awesome,” Muscala said.

The experience, though, is not what will linger for Muscala. Like any true champion, what he will never forget is the stinging defeat that ended his season.

“The loss gave me a lot more motivation to continue improving my game in the off season and get us back there next year,” he said.

It should come as no surprise to Bison fans that Muscala is never satisfied, even when leading his team to the NCAA Tournament. He’s the player who never quits, the player whose energy is unmatched, the player who keeps working hard.

That’s the motivation that took him to new heights in 2011. And, surely, that will be the same drive that will bring out a whole new Muscala come 2012.

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Coach of the Year: Dave Paulsen

Dave Paulsen cuts down the net after he led his team to a Patriot League Championship in his third year of coaching the BisonBy Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

The story of Dave Paulsen’s road to the Bison men’s basketball program is one that few outside of the team’s inner circles have heard.

After former head coach Pat Flannery, whose monumental upset over Kansas in the NCAA Tournament in 2005 and victory over Arkansas the next season put the Bison on the map nationally, retired abruptly in the summer of 2008, Paulsen took over a team needing some direction. Coming to an established Division I program from the Division III level, the stakes and the pressure facing Paulsen were enormously high.

Despite the pressure, his commitment to the program was obvious right from his first moments as head coach of the Bison.

“Paulsen eased the transition of the coaching change by simply saying that he chose us,” Darryl Shazier ’11 said. “This was really important to myself and the others who were recruited by Coach Flannery. We had no choice as to if he was our coach, but he made the decision to choose us.”

Struggling mightily to just seven wins in his first season at the helm of the Orange and Blue, Paulsen rebounded last year in 2010, leading the Bison to a second-place finish in the Patriot League standings. The season, though, would end with a stinging first-round loss at home in the conference tournament to Holy Cross, a tough way to end an promising season for Paulsen’s up-and-coming team.

Picked to finish second in conference this season, expectations were high for the Bison heading into 2011. But Paulsen was there to keep his team grounded and concentrated like he had been throughout his first two seasons.

“We really always tried to focus on getting better every single day, whether in practice or in games,” Paulsen said. “We just wanted to be the best team in the nation in terms of our practice effort, our focus-level and our consistency.”

Through eight games in the 2011 season, that effort, especially in tough losses late to Villanova, Marquette and St. Francis on the road, was not translating in victories, as the Bison stumbled out to a 2-6 record. Yet, Paulsen did not change his philosophy, sticking to what he knew best.

“We really challenged our players to find a way to dig down deep to make the extra-effort plays, the toughness plays, the 50-50 plays that distinguish the good teams from the mediocre teams,” Paulsen said.

His players noticed his commitment to working hard and to keeping their efforts at a high level, and responded positively in turn.

“Coach Paulsen did a great job throughout the season of challenging us and re-evaluating goals throughout the course of the year so we continue to improve and try to get better,” Bryson Johnson ’13 said. “Practices were always intense and that has taught us that no matter the circumstances, we must continue to work hard.”

Despite their slow start, the effort started to pay off. The victories started coming with Paulsen helping each player develop and find their role.

“Coach Paulsen has helped me develop my game in every aspect, especially on the defense end,” Bryan Cohen ’12 said. “People don’t realize how great of a defense Coach Paulsen is. He has high expectations for each player and, in my case, he expects me to never let my man score one field goal in an entire game. Overall, it may seem a little far-fetched, but having that expectation put on you makes you determined as a player to reach your fullest potential, both individually and collectively as a team.”

Paulsen’s focus on consistent play helped spark a run of 23 victories in the final 25 regular season games for the Orange and Blue. During that stretch, Paulsen always had the upper hand, outcoaching his opponent, including two separate occasions versus Richmond and Holy Cross, drawing up plays in the final seconds that would lead to game-winning baskets.

In Patriot League play, Paulsen lead his Bison to a 13-1 record and the regular season title, defeating American, the only team picked ahead of the Orange and Blue in the preseason polls, along the way. The second victory over American was Paulsen’s 300th career win in his NCAA career, which included his record coaching at Division III Williams College.

Amidst the streak, Paulsen’s demeanor on and off the court was just the same as it had been throughout his first three years in Lewisburg.

“Coach Paulsen is a players’ coach,” Cohen said. “My teammates and I love playing for him and love being around him. Not many basketball players can say that they like their coach both on and off the court. Sure, everyone gets yelled at for making a mistake but everyone one the team understands that he is only trying to bring the best out of you and to make our team achieve excellence.”

“When I’m not playing well, we’ll watch film together and talk about what I need to improve on,” Mike Muscala ’13 said. “And when I am playing well, we’ll do the same thing–which is what makes him such a great coach, always finding ways to improve and being relentless about consistency. It’s had such a profound effect on me and I’m lucky to have him as a coach.”

With such an impressive finish to the regular season, Paulsen also was named the Patriot League’s Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the 2011 Hugh Durham Award, given to the best coach of any mid-major school in nation.

In the Patriot League Tournament, Paulsen once again stepped up to the challenge, leading his Bison through three tough tests against Army, Lehigh and Lafayette to win the conference championship and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

“It was a tremendous thrill,” Paulsen said. “The whole experience was kind of surreal. I was so happy for our seniors.  I told them the day I was hired that I knew they didn’t choose me, but I had chosen them. I was so glad to see them rewarded for their faith and hard work through the dark days of that first season. And I was happy to be able to reward everyone for giving me this opportunity and for the faith and support they showed me and my coaching staff.”

Even though the NCAA Tournament contest against Connecticut did not pan out in the ways that the team had hoped after their run through the Patriot League in 2011, Paulsen sees the journey there and the UConn game as a teachable moment.

“The NCAA experience was great all the way until they tipped the ball up against UConn. Then, we ran into a juggernaut clicking on all cylinders. The actual game was not much fun but, to some degree, I think you have to go through that type of experience so that, if we’re fortunate enough to advance to the NCAA Tournament again next year, we won’t be awed or intimidated by the experience. I think everyone in our program is proud of the year we had but the NCAA game left a bitter taste in all of our mouths and we want to get back and perform better in the future,” Paulsen said.

That toughness and desire to coach and get better pushed Paulsen through all of the growing pains of his first two seasons in Lewisburg and brought him and the Bison contingent home another conference championship. When next year comes, Bison fans can be sure that he will still be roaming the sidelines, getting after his players for effort, focus and consistency.

But, for right now, he will be satisfied with all he accomplished in 2011.

“This is a tremendous honor, given what an outstanding group of coaches we have here within the athletic department at Bucknell,” Paulsen said. “It really is special to work within a department that values excellence and I have benefitted greatly from the input and support of many of my colleagues here at Bucknell. Most importantly, I have been so fortunate to have the best group of assistant coaches that I could ask for. Every member of my staff has had a tremendous impact in teaching our players, coaching in practice in games, preparing scouting reports and helping to recruit our student-athletes.  They share equally in this honor.”

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Bison Athlete of the Week: Doug Shribman ’11

By Cooper Sutton

Sports Editor

 

Biography

Position: First Base

Bats/Throws: R/R

Class: Senior

Hometown: Marblehead, Mass.

Major: History/Political Science

 

Statistics

Hits: 9

At bats: 16

Home runs: 3

RBI: 8

Walks: 2

 

 

Last Sunday in the men’s baseball team’s two-game sweep of Lehigh, Doug Shribman ’11 blasted three home runs to propel his team’s offense. Over the entire four-game series, he batted .563.

His obscenely high batting average was complemented by his even more impressive SLG of 1.188. His eight RBIs included five in one game, where he undoubtedly provided the spark his team needed.

As the Bison push to make the postseason after a rocky start, offensive production like Shribman’s will be key. His combination of getting on base and hitting with power was key for the team’s great weekend.

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Mallory ’11 sets legacy on and off court

By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

Going through the rigors of college is difficult enough; spending countless hours in the library all the while having your sights set on the future can cause even the brightest student to become frazzled. As a Division I athlete, this intensity is increased exponentially, giving up over 20 hours a week to train and compete for your sport. Now, add on top of all this a disease that could have not only crippled your athletic career but also your time in Orange and Blue.

Tennis player Mark Malloy ’11 managed to get past all of these challenges with a smile and still make everyone around him better.

“What Mark has done is incredible and something I’ll never forget. This season, he was really an inspiration to us all. His story is one that I’ll tell to the incoming freshmen next year and the year after,” Kelly Morque ’13 said.

After returning from a fall semester abroad, Mark was diagnosed with testicular cancer, forcing him to take time off from school to receive treatment and recover.

“The day we learned that Mark had been diagnosed with cancer was devastating,” men and women’s tennis Head Coach Rebecca Helt said. “Everything kind of came to a standstill and we were all very scared for him.”

Malloy fortunately had been diagnosed with the disease early enough so that it could be treated before it headed towards more serious stages.

“I was lucky enough to find the cancer at an early stage and have some of the best doctors helping me both then and now,” Malloy said.

While others may have taken the semester off in order to recover and rest, Malloy remained on campus to cheer on his fellow teammates, most notably during the Patriot League Tournament. Malloy didn’t let his treatment slow down his love for the Orange and Blue.

“The guy is incredible and an inspiration. Over a year ago Mark gave us news about his battle with testicular cancer, and through his whole battle Mark was about as optimistic as a person could be,” Josh Katten ’13 said.

Malloy is not just a tremendous teammate; he is also one of the best players to ever don a Bison tennis uniform. Having completed his senior year, Malloy is tied for the third-most wins all-time for men’s tennis with 117–a tremendous feat considering that Malloy missed his entire junior year of tennis.

“As a player, Mark was relentless. He would dig down and do the impossible like it was routine,” Helt said. “Even as a freshman, he impressed his coaches and his upperclass teammates with his determination. It was for that quality alone that he was made a captain at the end of his sophomore year.”

Malloy is not just a tennis player. When not working hard at his studies or on the tennis court, Malloy can be seen giving tours of campus for the Office of Admissions.

His bright personality and overall positive attitude is infectious. He leads parents and students around campus, answering their questions and helping them make the decision to come to the University.

His positive attitude does not go unnoticed from peers, underclassmen and coaches alike.

“I have known Mark since freshman year, and he has become one of my best friends. I don’t know one person at this school who doesn’t like him. He always finds a way to make a connection with somebody no matter what,” Anton Kovic ’11 said.

“Mark is one of the most well-liked and respected people I have ever met both on and off the court,” Katten said. “When he speaks, everyone listens. He leads by example, that’s what makes him so great. He is a great leader, friend and teammate to all of us.”

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Rowing takes Patriot League title

By Thomas Walter

Writer

The women’s rowing team edged out Navy 33-28 this past weekend to take the Patriot League title. The varsity eight and second varsity eight both won their events while the varsity four ended in fourth place. While those three varsity squads were celebrating their sixth consecutive Patriot League Title, the varsity lightweights took on two nationally ranked opponents, No.1 Princeton and No. 4 Radcliffe.

In the Patriot Leagues, the varsity eight won their tight race by three seconds over Colgate.

“We were racing past the 500-meter mark, where my teammates were cheering from their boats in the warm down lanes,” Tori Dudley ’11 said. “We gained momentum through these cheers.”

The second varsity eight held off Navy by two seconds to secure another win and 12 more points for the Bison. The varsity four finished up the competition by coming in fourth place, 12 seconds behind first-place Navy. But the Bison had already earned enough points to secure the win.

“The win couldn’t have happened without the eight other people in the boat, or rather the 50-plus more women on the team,” Dudley said. “We all push each other. I am happy that I could represent the team. I am honored to be a part of something so special in this program’s history.”

The varsity lightweight team also raced just outside of Boston this weekend as they went to face off against Princeton and Radcliffe. The Bison ultimately fell to both, finishing 20 seconds behind Princeton and 13 seconds behind Radcliffe.

The team will compete against Duke and Iowa in Ithaca, N.Y. this weekend.

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Men’s lax to host league tourney

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

Despite facing deficits of 4-1 and 5-2 in Saturday’s regular season finale against No. 16 Colgate, the No. 12 Orange and Blue men’s lacrosse team rallied for a 12-7 victory, capping off an undefeated 6-0 season in league play and securing the right to host the Patriot League Tournament.

The Bison offensive attack was led by Mike Danylyshyn ’11, who tied his career highs with four goals and five points in the contest, and Todd Heritage ’14, who recorded yet another hat trick.

“We knew what we had to do and we executed, and my teammates did a great job of finding me when I was cutting, setting me up perfectly for great shots,” Heritage said. “Our coaches did an amazing job of preparing us during the week.”

The game started off poorly for the Bison when Colgate won the opening faceoff and scored just 34 seconds in. The Raiders eventually extended their lead to 5-2, but after that Colgate did not score again for over 38 minutes of game time. Nick Gantsoudes ’12 and Heritage each scored a goal in the final minute of the first quarter, cutting the deficit to 5-4. A goal from Danylyshyn in the second half brought the Bison even at 5-5 going into halftime.

The Bison came out of the locker room scorching, completely dominating the third quarter as they stormed back to take a commanding 9-5 lead that was extended to 11-5 early in the fourth quarter. Colgate closed the gap to 11-7, but Gantsoudes tallied the final goal of the contest to cap an impressive regular season for the Bison.

Goalie Kyle Feeney ’13 was solid in goal again, recording 10 saves in the contest.

The season was one of the best in program history, reaching the 12-win plateau for only the second time. After completing an undefeated season in the league, the team will host Lehigh tonight in the Patriot League Tournament semifinal match. Faceoff is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.

“I know it will be an amazing atmosphere and that the energy will be high and those are the types of games that I love to play in,” Heritage said.

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Women’s lax finishes season 3-13 following loss to Colgate

By Andrew Arnao

Writer

The women’s lacrosse team fell to Colgate 20-7 on Saturday in its season finale, finishing with a 3-13 record for the year.

“Even though we didn’t come out with a win, it was great to end the season on a positive note, looking toward the future,” Amanda Ayers ’14 said. “While we will greatly miss our seniors, we are excited about how good our young team will be in the years to come and the awesome freshman class of recruits coming in next year.”

Madison Hurwitz ’13 and Katelyn Miller ’14 had two goals each, while Andrea Feldman ’14, Sophie Kleinert ’14 and Adrienne Wendling ’13 scored a goal apiece. Miller and Kerri Althouse ’14 led the team with four ground balls, while Wendling and Lindsey Ferro ’14 led with three draw controls.

Senior goalie Alyssa DeLorenz ’11 had 15 saves and finished the season with 205 total. She finishes her collegiate career with 689 saves.

The Raiders started off the game by scoring two goals, but Kleinert and Miller tied it up with back-to-back goals. Miller added her second goal after Colgate scored two more, but the Raiders went on to score 13 of the next 14 goals, putting the game out of reach by the end of the first half.

“It was great to play a tough team in the league to finish off the season,” Kleinert said. “We are really going to miss our seniors both on and off the field.”

The Raiders finished with a 45-15 shot advantage, 21-7 draw control advantage and 23-12 advantage in ground balls. Colgate also had eight turnovers compared to the Bison’s 13.

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Softball wins one in four-game series

By Lindsay Regruto

Staff Writer

With a six-hit shutout, Bridget Gates ’13 led the women’s softball team to a win on Sunday’s Senior Day against Lafayette to give Head Coach Heather Rakosik her 200th career victory. The Bison ended the series against the Leopards 1-3.

Allowing no more than one hit in any inning, Gates successfully held off the Leopards in game two of the double header on Sunday for a 1-0 win. The sole Bison run of the game came in the second inning. Kathryn Wilkinson ’13 reached base and advanced into scoring position off a double by Mary Horton ’13. Jessie Snyder ’11 later brought Wilkinson home with a hard-driven single. Snyder ended the game going a solid three for three at the plate.

Before the night’s win, the Orange and Blue suffered a 5-4 loss to open the series against Lafayette. The Leopards were the first to clear the goose egg off the board, plating two runs in the first three innings. The Bison evened up the score when Lauren Fry ’11 was brought home with a homerun by Alison Ford ’11. It was her fourth home run of the season and 14th of her career, and she currently leads all current Bison in home runs. The teams went back and forth as both put up a run in the fourth. Lafayette pulled ahead in the fifth, bringing in two runs. The Bison answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the sixth but could not bring another around, resulting in a close loss to the Leopards.

The series continued on Monday as the Bison suffered a 3-0 loss in the first game of the day. Neither put a run on the board by the fourth inning, but Lafayette scored one run in the beginning of the fifth. It looked close as the Bison defense gained two outs, but the Leopards would score two more runs before the third out. The Orange and Blue were unable to score in the sixth but also prevented Lafayette from posting any more runs. The offense could not rally, dropping the game to Lafayette in the top of the seventh.

The Orange and Blue ended the series with 5-2 loss to the Leopards in game two of the day. Lafayette brought one run around in the third to take a small lead over the Bison. The Orange and Blue responded with RBIs by Fry and Ford to take the lead over Lafayette in the sixth. The Bison defense was unable to hold off the Leopards, though, allowing four runs in the bottom of the sixth. The team was unable to rally in the seventh, resulting in a Leopards’ win.

Ford finished with three RBIs in the series to give her a total of 96 career RBIs and tie her for second in program history.

The Orange and Blue finish Patriot League play this weekend at West Point against Army.

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Baseball wins three of four at Lehigh

By Chris McCree

Writer

The baseball team came away with three crucial wins this weekend during its four-game series at Lehigh. Powered by the impressive play of Doug Shribman ’11, the Bison offense exploded for 40 runs over the four games, giving the team more than enough support to take down the Mountain Hawks and regain ground in the Patriot League.

“The series was very important for us. We were playing to keep our postseason hopes alive and we put ourselves in a good position to make the playoffs,” Jack Boehm ’12 said.

On Saturday, the Bison split their fourth consecutive doubleheader, winning the first game 10-3 but losing the second 8-4. In their game-one victory, the Bison held a slim one-run lead after three innings but plated six unanswered runs over the next four. Bob Donato ’12 and Shribman anchored the Bison offense with three hits apiece, and Alex Cillo ’12 came away with the win, pitching 3.1 scoreless innings of relief.

Game two featured a late-inning collapse by the Orange and Blue. Going into the bottom of the eighth, the game was knotted at four apiece, but a two-out rally by the Mountain Hawks gave them the four-run victory.

The Orange and Blue responded to the game-two loss with two lopsided victories on Sunday. The Bison outscored the Mountain Hawks 26-11 over the two games, winning game one 15-5 and game two 11-6.

“The key to our success was our offense,” Boehm said.

Drew Constable ’11 and Donato combined for three home runs and nine of the team’s 29 hits. Shribman was the star of the day though, going 6-11 with three home runs and seven RBIs to move within 10 of the program’s all-time record.

“When Doug is hitting like he did this weekend, our whole team feels a lot more confident. He’s a really explosive player, when he hits our whole team hits,” Boehm said.

The team also received a great performance from its bullpen. The combination of Eric Jarrett ’11, Cillo, Dan Goldstein ’13 and Steve Carlin ’11 allowed just three runs over six innings of play.

“The whole team was working together, pitchers and hitters, to keep the momentum with us which is a big reason we were able to win three out of the four games,” Cillo said.

The Bison now stand tied with the Mountain Hawks for the final spot in the Patriot League playoffs. Each team will play its final Patriot League series of the season, and the outcomes will decide which team will make it to the postseason. The Bison will play host to first place Army, but they aren’t at all intimidated.

“We stand a pretty good chance making the playoffs if we keep playing the way that we did this past weekend,” Cillo said. “We generally have success against Army, and with the series being here this year, we have the home field advantage. Winning three out of four this coming weekend will guarantee that we make the Patriot League Tournament.”