BOSTON – Colgate Softball closed the books on a memorable 2019 season with losses to Boston University and Bucknell in the Patriot League Tournament on Thursday at BU Softball Field. The Raiders fell to the top-seeded Terriers 3-0 in Game 1 before dropping a 5-2 eight-inning elimination decision to the No. 2 seeded Bison in Game 2.
Colgate wraps up its season 25-27 overall, its most wins since 2011.
Game 1: Boston University 3, Colgate 0
Colgate threatened in the top of the first after
Virginia Irby led off with a single up the middle. She beat a force out at second base on a fielder's choice by
Nicole Rounsavill, but the Raiders stranded two as Boston University pitcher Ali DuBois escaped the early jam.
The regular season champions came out strong, tallying four hits in a two-run bottom of the first. With the bases loaded,
Rebecca Johnson snared a fly ball in left field and gunned out the runner at home plate attempting to tag up. Irby laid down the perfect tag to complete the inning-ending double play and keep the deficit at 2-0.
Johnson's throw was one of three assists on the day for the Raider outfield.
Both pitchers settled into a groove from there, as neither side yielded another hit until the bottom of the fifth.
Bella Crow retired 10 straight batters before working around back-to-back two-out singles in the fifth to keep the Raiders within striking distance.
Boston University's DuBois was just as strong on the home side, however, retiring 14 straight before Irby poked a single into center in the sixth. She moved up on a groundout by
Meghan Romero, but was stranded at second on an inning-ending strikeout.
The Terriers tacked on an insurance run in the sixth and held off the Raiders in the seventh to secure the 3-0 first round final score.
Irby finished with Colgate's two hits to lead the way offensively. Crow shouldered the loss in the circle despite firing six strong innings. She scattered three earned runs on eight hits with a strikeout and no walks in her 12th complete game of the season.
Game 2: Bucknell 5, Colgate 2 (8 Inn.)
Colgate set the tone early in the elimination game with two runs in the first. Irby singled up the middle and scored on an RBI base hit from
Mia Guevarra, before Romero crossed the plate on a groundout by Rounsavill to stake the Raiders to an early 2-0 lead.
Bucknell answered back in the third after a two-run double from Taylor Wolfgang tied the game up at 2-2. The Bison were busy on the base paths in the fourth and fifth but a pair of inning-ending double plays from Colgate's sharp defense kept the score deadlocked.
Crow, pitching for the second straight game, scattered six hits and two runs over 4 1/3 innings. She struck out two and walked three.
Jessica Hay relieved Crow in the fifth and induced a 6-4-3 double play to escape a jam and keep the contest level at 2-2.
The Raiders' best chance came in the sixth when Romero was hit by a pitch to start the frame. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Guevarra, but a pair of strikeouts left her there and the Bison made it pay in the eighth.
Bucknell broke the tie with three runs on four hits in the top of the eighth. Wolfgang brought home two more on a single up the middle and her four-RBI day led the Bison to a 5-2 win in eight innings.
Five different Raiders recorded a hit in the contest. Irby and Romero led the way with a single and run scored apiece. Crow started but did not factor in the decision. Hay was tagged with the loss after allowing three earned runs over three innings of relief.
From the Source
Colgate head coach
Marissa Lamison-Myers:
"What a season it has been. I couldn't be prouder of what this team accomplished this year. We fought to the very end playing both Boston and Bucknell as hard as we could.
"This senior class is definitely leaving this program better than when they got here. We thank them for their selflessness and hard-working mentality. They know this team is on the right path and we look forward to keeping the winning tradition alive.
"I am excited for what is to come for Colgate Softball. We return all but one starter and have a great first-year class ready to come in and make an impact. This is only the beginning."
2019 Colgate Softball Season Highlights
• Colgate's 25 wins were its most since 2011 when the team finished 27-21.
• The Raiders' eight league wins were their most in four years en route to their first Patriot League Tournament appearance since 2015.
• Colgate in 2019 posted a .269 team batting average, nearly 60 points higher than last year (.211). The Raiders finished with 363 hits in 2019, their most since 2010.
• Colgate shattered the school record for doubles in a game with eight against Binghamton on April 2.
• 13 of the Raiders' 15 hits in that game went for extra bases, as they blasted five homers in a game for just the second time in program history.
• Colgate led the Patriot League in home runs with 31.
• The Raiders picked up their first sweep over Army since 2015 in West Point on April 6-7.
• Colgate rattled off a seven-game winning streak during the regular season and finished 8-4 at Eaton Street Field, which included non-conference wins over Syracuse and Siena along with a three-game sweep of Lafayette April 27-28.
• Colgate landed three All-Patriot League honorees, highlighted by
Meghan Romero earning First Team honors for the first time in her career.
•
Virginia Irby and
Nicole Rounsavill were recognized on the second team.
