HAMILTON, N.Y. (5/5/07) – The Colgate softball team (21-22, PL 11-5) swept a Patriot League doubleheader over Bucknell Saturday to clinch the number two seed in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament.  The Raiders took the opener 4-2, before downing the Bison 9-2 in the nightcap.

 

Bucknell (15-32-1, PL 7-11) needs to win both games between these two teams on Sunday to make the Patriot League Tournament.

 

In the opener, senior Kelsey Nordstrom (Salina, KS) pitched a four-hitter for her 12^th win of the season.  She allowed two runs, walked six and struck out seven.

 

Bucknell took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a bases loaded walk, before going up 2-0 in the third on Sherry Finkel’s line drive home run over the left field fence.

 

Colgate scored all four of its runs in the fourth inning.  Ashley Rowe (Tampa, FL) opened the frame with a double down the left field line, and after moving to third on a wild pitch came home on Erin Gomez’s (Lawrenceville, NJ) RBI single.  Gomez moved to second, when LaPorscha Albert (Lewisville, TX) was safe on the fielder’s choice.  Gomez was out on a fielders’ choice at third with Vicky Ortengren (Colorado Springs, CO) reaching first and Albert advancing to second.  Whitney Scott (Beaverton, OR) was hit by a pitch to load the bases, before Tiana Tyeskey (Granite Bay, CA) singled for one run, and Meg Mylan (Upper Montclair, NJ) followed with the two-run single.  Mylan was 2-for-3 with a double.

 

Scott was 3-for-4 with two RBI in the nightcap, while Kortney Hannah (Vacaville, CA) had a bases-loaded clearing triple for three RBI to lead the Raiders.

 

Colgate jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Scott’s RBI single to center field.  Bucknell tied the contest in the fourth inning on Ashley Bean’s single, driving in Kristin Frick, who had doubled.

 

In the fifth inning, Bucknell took a 2-1 lead off Colgate starter Jesse McCarrick (Oak Hill, VA).  McCarrick left the contest with the score tied 1-1 with runners on first and second with one out after being hit by a line drive off her foot.  Nordstrom came in, and after Frick single for a run, shut down the Bison the rest of the way.

 

McCarrick worked 4.1 innings allowing six hits, two runs, one earned and struck out two.  Nordstrom, who picked her second win of the day, gave up two hits, walked none and struck out three.

 

Colgate took control of the contest with five runs in the fifth inning with Hannah’s base loaded triple during most of the damage.  Kimberley Spinks (Bristow, VA) and Scott added run producing singles.  In the sixth inning, the Raiders scored three more times.  Ortengren and Scott drove in one run apiece, and the final run scored on an error.

 

Ortengren and Rowe had two hits apiece for the Raiders.