Bucknell held the Presbyterian College softball team to just two hits en route to a 8-0 win in five innings of play in the final day of the Rebel Spring Games being held in Winter Haven, Fla.
The Blue Hose fall to 7-8 overall, while Bucknell improves to 11-6. PC rounds out the Rebel Spring Games with an 11:15 game against Creighton. The Blue Hose open the home season next week with a doubleheader against East Tennessee State, Wed., March 11 at 2 p.m. Next for PC is a three-game series with UNC Wilmington Mar. 14-15, with a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday. First pitch for both days is at 1 p.m.
Amanda Fazio (7-2) held the Blue Hose to just two hits, while striking out at least two batters in three of the four innings she pitched in, collecting a total of eight.
A PC error to open the second inning put Meghan Kovac on first. She stole second and scored the game's first run when Erin Cox doubled to right. Cox scored two batters later off a single to the shortstop by Maddie Minneci to make it 2-0 in favor of the Bison.
A base hit by Jacee Almond brought home Carolyn Wan, who had drawn a walk a few batters earlier, to give Bucknell the 3-0 lead.
With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Jill McLean gave PC its first hit of the game, a single that ran just wide of the second baseman. She stole second but couldn't get any further as Fazio continued her strong pitching performance, striking out the next two batters to end the threat.
Bucknell used a RBI single by Cox and a two-RBI double by Almond to help them in a five-run fifth inning to take the 8-0 lead.
With two outs on the board, Katie Brown knocked a single to right, PC's second hit of the game, to put a runner on base. Pinch-hitter Courtney Lawton was hit by a pitch and the Blue Hose had a runner in scoring position. The rally was short-lived as pinch-runner Ashlyn Durham was tagged out at third on a fielder's choice to end the game, with Bucknell taking the 8-0, five-inning win.
Sydney Seigler (2-4) picked up the loss for PC, going 4.0 innings and surrendering five of Bucknell's seven hits, and no earned runs, with two strikeouts.
Bucknell was led by Almond, who was two-for-three with three RBI and Cox, who was two-of-three with two RBI.
