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HAMILTON – Senior Eileen Ornousky chose a great time to register not only her first career home run but her second as well.
 
Ornousky went long in both of Saturday's games against Bucknell and finished the afternoon going 3-for-6 with three runs, six RBIs and a walk.
 
"It was her first career home runs and it's senior weekend, so nothing could be greater for her," Colgate head coach Melissa Finley said. "She hits them all the time in practice so it was nice to see her hit one in the game. I was really proud of her and her hitting today."
 
The Bison and Raiders fought in game one, with Colgate coming out victorious, 6-5 in nine innings. The Raiders jumped out to the early 2-0 lead thanks to a homer from Mariel Schlaefer in the bottom of the first. The Bison knotted the score in the top of the fourth but Ornousky's three-run shot put Colgate back on top. Three runs from Bucknell in the final two innings, however, forced extra innings. A Schlaefer single in the bottom of the ninth, though, lifted Colgate to its third conference win of the year.
 
"We played great softball in the first game," Finley said. "It was a back and forth battle but our bats showed up when we needed them to and it was nice to see."
 
After a scoreless first three innings in game two, the Bison registered 12 runs in a three-inning span to create a double-digit deficit between the teams. Colgate answered with three runs in the sixth, but the wide margin proved to be too much as the Raiders fell 12-3 in six innings.
 
Colgate (11-27, 3-10 PL) was led by Ornousky but also saw Schlaefer, Alex Wilson and Katie Bushee record hits on the day. Schlaefer notched three hits, two runs, three RBIs and a walk during her seven at bats, while Wilson went 2-for-3 with one run and a walk in her one game played. Bushee chipped in two hits and a run in her six plate appearances.
 
Sophomore Brigit Ieuter pitched all nine innings of game one, allowing 10 hits and five runs. Fellow classmate Megan Carnase went 5.1 innings in the nightcap giving up eight hits and seven runs, three of which were earned. Gillian Murray came in to pitch in relief, going 0.2 innings, giving up three hits and five runs.
  Bucknell (18-22, 7-6 PL) saw Cydnee Sanders finish 6-for-9 in the doubleheader with five runs and three RBIs. Jacklyn Tyburk added four hits, two runs and four RBIs in her seven at bats, while Jacee Almond tallied three hits, three runs and a walk during her seven plate appearances.
 
In game one, Colgate jumped out to the early 2-0 edge after Schlaefer sent one out of the ballpark. Bushee leadoff the inning with a walk before stealing second to get a runner in scoring position. The Bison registered two outs but Schlaefer's homer gave the Raiders the two-run advantage.
 
Bucknell pulled even in the fourth thanks to a long single by Tyburk, which scored Kristen Zahn and Sanders.
 
The Raiders wasted little time trailing, however, as they saw Ornousky blast one over the left center fence to give Colgate back its lead. The inning started with Wilson singling to left field. After a Tara Grennan walk placed two runners on base, the Bison recorded their first out of the inning. On the next at bat, though, Ornousky took one deep to clear the bases for her first career home run.
 
After a scoreless fifth inning, Bucknell tallied three runs in the sixth and seventh to force the game into extra innings.
 
Colgate finally broke through the bottom of the ninth with a walk-off single from Schlaefer. Ornousky started the inning earning a walk. Bushee shifted her up a base following a sacrifice bunt before Haley Fleming reached base on a fielder's choice. Tera Vaughn loaded the bases on the next at bat thanks to a single before Schleafer's single on the ensuing play allowed Ornousky to touch home.
 
Game two featured three scoreless innings until Bucknell registered the game's first two runs in the fourth. They added two more in the fifth before recording a big top of the sixth, in which they earned eight runs.
 
Colgate tried to rally from the deficit in the bottom half and cut into the lead after Ornousky tallied her second career homer. Schlaefer earned a walk to start the inning before a Vaughn single shifted her 60 feet on the next at bat. The Bison tallied one out but Ornousky's shot over the left center fence cleared the bases for the second time on the day.
 
Unfortunately, the nine-run margin the Bison had built proved to be too much for the Raiders as they fell in the nightcap.
 
Colgate and Bucknell faceoff again on Sunday for the final game of this three-game series. Sunday's 12 p.m. start will also mark the final home game for four special seniors.