Spartanburg, S.C. – Amidst an uncharacteristic appearance of snow in South Carolina, a combination of timely hitting by Bucknell and errors by Saint Francis gave the Bison a 10-2 victory over the Red Flash during day two of the Spartan Classic.

Recap

First Inning

Bucknell threatened early after reaching on a single. Jordan Frank (DuBois, Pa./DuBois Central Catholic) raced in but despite her diving attempt couldn't corral the dying sphere. A hit by pitch followed but Grace Vesco ( Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover) making her second straight start remained steadfast notwithstanding the double steal that placed runners on second and third. On a 3-2 count, she induced the swinging strikeout to vanquish the threat.
Saint Francis drew first blood in the bottom of the first inning. After Avery Nagle (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) struck out, Tayven Rousseau (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) singled through the left side. Barnes advanced her to second on a grounder. Allyn Bezjak (Uniontown, Pa./Albert Gallatin High School) ably serving the role of cleanup hitter in a pretty piece of hitting knocked a fat pitch up the middle for the game's first run. Bezjak was thrown out attempting to reach second but SFU scored the early 1-0 advantage.

Second Inning

Bucknell tied up the game courtesy of a hit by pitch and triple. Bucknell's leadoff hitter was plucked by an inside pitch. She was sacrificed to second and with two outs, Bucknell smacked a triple down the line to tie the game.
The Red Flash couldn't respond in kind. Two quick strikeouts and Jordan Frank's (DuBois, Pa./DuBois Central Catholic) hot grounder was gathered up for the third out.

Third Inning

Vesco continued her strong play by obtaining a strikeout and easy groundball. Bucknell collected a two-out single but Vesco kept her composure by striking out her fourth Bison of the game.
The Red Flash bats remained in check by the Bucknell pitching. Ashley Wruble (DuBois, Pa./DuBois Central Catholic) and Emily Nunez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Alta Loma ) struck out. Nagle reached on an errant throw and then stole second but Rousseau struck out to end the opportunity.

Fourth Inning

Once again, the leadoff runner reaching proved to be no good for SFU. A leadoff walk was followed by a sacrifice and a single. A stolen base placed runners on second and third. Another single scored the first run but good defense picked off the Bison who strayed too far from third base. Unfortunately, more two hits followed which resulted in a 4-2 Bison lead.
The Red Flash got one run back as Rachel Marsden (Erie, Pa./McDowell) blasted an opposite field bomb over the right field fence. Brittney Crawford (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon McMillan) and Jordan Frank (DuBois, Pa./DuBois Central Catholic) followed up with singles but Wruble struck out.

Fifth Inning

Bucknell increased their advantage using a combination of hitting and SFU errors. In an upsetting trend, the opposing leadoff hitter again reached this time off an error by Emily Nunez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Alta Loma ). A meager infield single turned into something important after Madeline Barnes' (Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills) throw sailed into right field. The runner scored and the hitter ended up at third. Nagle couldn't catch the following line drive and the score became 6-2. A hit by pitch ended Vesco's stint and Rachel Marsden (Erie, Pa./McDowell) entered the circle for the first time as a collegiate pitcher. An error by Wruble scored two more runs to make it 8-2. Two strikeouts intermingled with a single set the stage for the fatal blow. A final single plated two more runs for the 10-2 advantage. Marsden's third strikeout of the inning was slight balm.

The Red Flash needed to score to prevent the implementation of the run rule but two fly balls and a grounder confirmed its arrival.

Up Next 
                                                                        
The Red Flash return to action tomorrow against Towson at 11 a.m. and host USC Upstate at 1 p.m.