HAMILTON – Colgate earned a doubleheader split with visiting Holy Cross on Saturday in two Patriot League contests.
 
The Raiders recorded a 6-4 victory in the opener before the Crusaders posted a 6-5 win in game two.
 
On the day Katie Bushee was the Raiders best performer, going 4-for-7 with two runs and three RBIs. Brigit Ieuter went 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs, while Marisa Dowling added two hits and one run during her six at bats to help Colgate's total.
 
Three pitchers saw action in the twin bill with Ieuter, Megan Carnase and Kira Griswold all taking the circle.
 
Ieuter registered the win in game one pitching all seven innings before Carnase and Griswold combined for the nightcap.
 
Ieuter was the star of game one with an outstanding performance in the circle and at the plate.
 
She not only pitched seven strong innings allowing just six hits and four runs, three of which were earned, but she went 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs. One of those hits was her second career long ball, which sailed over the left center fence.

Colgate jumped out the early 1-0 edge in the bottom of the second thanks to Ieuter's hit, but a four-run top of the third for the visitors gave them to 4-1 lead. The Raiders would not back down though as they responded with a four-run inning of their own in the fourth to take back their advantage at 5-4. An insurance home run from Tara Grennan ultimately secured Colgate the victory.
 
In game two it was the visitors who took the early 1-0 lead. But again the Raiders wouldn't spend much time trailing as they posted three runs in the bottom half of the first.

Colgate tallied one more run in the third but the Crusaders would answer in the fourth to cut the lead in half at 4-2.
 
Holy Cross then put up four runs in the fifth inning to create a two-run gap between the teams. The Raiders tried to rally in the seventh and were able to get one run back but it wasn't enough as the visitors held on to take the 6-5 win. In Colgate's seventh-inning rally the Raiders were called out at the plate, cancelling their tying run.
 
These two teams are back in action on Sunday for the rubber match of this three-game Patriot League series. The contest is scheduled for a noon start on Eaton Street Field.
 
Bottom Line
• Colgate 6, Holy Cross 4
• Holy Cross 6, Colgate 5

Won-Lost Records
• Colgate shifts to 14-12 overall and 9-2 in Patriot League play
• Holy Cross slides to 6-14 and 4-7, respectively.

Key Raider Info
• Bushee led all Raider players on the day going 4-for-7 with two runs and three RBIs. The sophomore now extends her hitting streak to three games.
• Ieuter also chipped in three hits, while Dowling added two. Ieuter finished accounting for three runs and two RBIs to go along with Dowling's one run.
• Five other Raiders recorded at least one hit in the doubleheader in Mariel Schlaefer, Grennan, Gillian Murray, Alessandra Moore and Alicia Daly.
• Three pitchers took the circle for Colgate in Ieuter, Carnase and Griswold.
• Ieuter pitched all seven innings of game one allowing six hits, four runs, three of which were earned, and three walks. Carnase got the starting nod in the nightcap pitching 4.2 innings giving up seven hits, six runs, five of which were earned, and three walks. Griswold came in for relief allowing just three hits and three walks during her 2.1 innings of work.

Facts & Figures
• Colgate touched home plate 11 times throughout the course of the twin bill.
• The Raiders also posted 14 hits on the day to go along with their nine RBIs.
• Colgate added to its season home runs total with two long balls from Grennan and Ieuter. Grennan's hit was her team-leading ninth of the season, which placed her tied for fifth all-time in season homers, while Ieuter's tally was only her second career blast.
• The Raiders have recorded 24 home runs this year to only seven from their opponents.
• With Ieuter's win in the circle during the opening game she moved into sole possession of 13th place all-time in career wins. She also sits 13th in career strikeouts with 134, sitting just three shy of tying 12th place.
• In total the pitching staff struck out eight batters on the day.
 
Holy Cross' Numbers
• Taylor Moss was the Crusaders top performer going 4-for-7 in the twin bill with one run and two RBIs.
• Emma Keough added four hits and one run during her six at bats, while Savannah Young went 2-for-6 with one run and a game-high four RBIs.
• The Crusaders also saw Mandy McCarthy go 2-for-5 on the day with one run.
• Gennifer Durham pitched a complete game one allowing seven hits and six runs for Holy Cross.
• Katy Watson earned the start in game two going three innings and giving up four hits and four runs, three of which were earned, before Durham came in to finish the game pitching four innings. She then allowed three hits and one run to grab the win.
 
Straight From The Source
• Colgate head coach Melissa Finley: (on her thoughts from the doubleheader) "Overall we hit the ball really well. We stuck to our game plan in game one and even early on in game two. But we had a hard time executing the small finer details and gave them a few extra runs that we couldn't come back from in the nightcap."
 
(on Brigit Ieuter's performance in game one) "Brigit did very well on both sides. She pitched tremendously for us and she's kind of been that rock in the pitchers circle where we know every time she steps onto the plate we've got an opportunity to win the game. Hitting-wise, going 3-for-3 with a home run, she definitely stepped up for us in a big way."
 
(on what Katie Bushee brought to the table in the games) "She was on today. She rises to the occasion and she stepped up big for us in that last inning of game two. Unfortunately we couldn't push that tying run across but she's the type of person I want in the batters box with the game on the line."
 
(on having a quick turnaround in the rubber match with Holy Cross on Sunday) "We want to stay calm, relaxed, stick to our game plan and play our softball. We let the emotions of the game kind of get to us a little bit and we let Holy Cross dictate the pace. We weren't getting our bunts down and we weren't getting the lead runner out. If we focus on those details, stay calm and sticking to our game plan we will be fine."

Up Next
• Colgate and Holy Cross are back in action on Sunday for the rubber match of this three-game Patriot League series beginning at noon on Eaton Street Field.
• Live stats and video are available at the start of the game.

Game Archive of Game 1


Game Archive of Game 2