SOFTBALL GAME CENTRAL

THIS WEEK
Wed., April 6 – at Albany (DH) 3:00 p.m. ET
Sat., April 9 – vs. Bucknell (DH) 12:00 p.m. ET
Sun., April 10 – vs. Bucknell (DH) 12:00 p.m. ET

The Colgate University softball team will face Albany for a double-header on Wednesday before heading home for the weekend to face Bucknell in a pair of double-headers. Both days the games are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. at Eaton Street Field.

Colgate (12-11, 4-0) is coming off a sweep of Army and is 4-0 in the Patriot League for the first time since 2007. Courtney O'Connell and Rachel LeCoq split pitching duties over the weekend, both collecting a pair of wins, while Alana Dyson finished the weekend hitting .571 (8-for-14) with three runs scored and three RBI. As a team Colgate ranks first in the Patriot League in pitching with a 1.39 ERA and fourth in hitting with a .257 batting average. The Raiders also rank 11th in the nation in pitching, while O'Connell (17th) and LeCoq (40th) are both among the top-50 individually. Dyson also has three triples on the season which is tied for 32nd in the nation, while Tera Vaughn is the third toughest player to strike out in the country. Vaughn has only struck out once in 78 at bats.

SOFTBALL GAME CENTRAL
Raider fans can follow every Colgate game this season through Softball Game Central located on the Colgate Athletic Website. Softball Game Central keeps fans one click away from lives stats, and all the information on each opponent from who is leading the all-time series to who won the last game.

O'CONNELL, LeCOQ EARN PL HONORS
Pitchers O'Connell and LeCoq were both awarded for their performances in the circle against Army. O'Connell was named Pitcher of the Week, while LeCoq was Rookie of the Week.

O'Connell went 2-0, both complete games, with a 0.50 earned-run average and one shutout as the Raiders jumped into a first-place tie in the League standings with Holy Cross. She threw seven innings of four-hit, shutout ball where she walked two and struck out six in Colgate's 2-0 win on Saturday. She followed it up with another strong performance Sunday with another seven innings, allowing four runs (one earned) on eight hits while walking five and striking out four in the Raiders' 7-4 win in Sunday's nightcap. O'Connell improved her record to 4-7 on the spring while lowering her League-leading ERA to 1.14.

As good as O'Connell was for the Raiders, LeCoq was right with her every step of the way with a 2-0 record, both complete games, and one shutout during the Raiders' 4-0 weekend at Army. She pitched Saturday's series-opener and gave up four hits and three walks while striking out three in her team's 4-0 win over the Black Knights. She hit the circle on Sunday and allowed three runs (none earned) on six hits with three walks and nine strikeouts in Colgate's 5-3 victory. She allowed 10 hits and six walks in 14 innings over the weekend, giving up three unearned runs and recording 12 punchouts. She leads the Patriot League with eight victories and 6.52 strikeouts per seven innings, and has the second-best ERA at 1.44.

SCOUTING ALBANY
Albany (9-16) enters Wednesday after going 3-0 over the weekend against Hartford to begin play in America East. The Danes are led by Gina Mason who is hitting .420 with three homeruns and nine RBI. In the circle Brittany Schweiger is 3-6 with three complete games and a 1.79 ERA, while Brittany MacFawn is 5-4 with a 2.68 ERA. The Raiders are facing Albany for the second time this season, The Danes won the first meeting 1-0 at Delaware State and leads the all-time series 5-4.

SCOUTING BUCKNELL
The Bison (8-22, 1-3) enter the weekend after dropping three of their first four Patriot League games to Lehigh. Alison Ford led Bucknell over the weekend hitting .583 (7-for-12) with two homers. Ford is also riding a 14-game hitting streak. Bucknell went 5-2 against Colgate last season to take the all-time series lead at 43-40. This season the Bison rank third in the Patriot League in pitching with a team ERA of 3.52 and sixth in hitting with a .233 batting average.