The softball team started its Patriot League season strong on March 22-23, taking on Army and winning the three-game series 2-1 at home.

“We are in Patriot League play now and with over 20 games under our belt, the team has continued to play very well. Our first game was not what we were expecting from our performance this weekend but we came out strong in the remaining two games of the series and won big against Army,” Kristen Zahn ’15 said.

The Orange and Blue hosted Army at Becker Field for the first game of the series on March 22. The game started slowly, with both teams limiting each other’s scoring until the final innings. Dana Nielsen ’16 led the Bison on the mound, striking out five and allowing 13 hits. Army was able to overcome her effort in their final two innings of the game, scoring five runs and finishing ahead by a score of 7-1.

The Bison came out with a vengeance in the second game of the doubleheader, posting a 7-2 win to finish the day. The team’s offense was solid from the beginning, with Cydnee Sanders ’15 leading the way with her 2-for-3 performance, including a two-run home run. Zahn and Mariah Midyette ’16 also both had two hits in the game.

On the pitching side, Lara Bean ’17 and Cindy Cherness ’16 held the Army offense in check, with Bean earning her third win of the season by allowing only five hits and two runs. Cherness recorded her second save of the season as a reliever.

The Bison finished out the series on March 23 with another strong performance on both sides of the ball, ending the day with another 7-2 victory. Cherness once again had a strong day for the Orange and Blue, retiring 13 out of the 14 final batters she faced, while allowing no hits over 4.1 innings. Sanders also had another strong day, going 3-for-3 and recording a big three-run triple. Overall strong performances from the rest of the squad, including five walks and no strikeouts, sealed the deal for the Bison.

Cherness earned Patriot League Softball Pitcher of the Week honors for her strong performances throughout the weekend.

“This weekend, it all came together and we accomplished our goal of winning the series. The team definitely has a lot of work to do to win as many Patriot League games as we can, but this was a great start,” Sanders said.

The Bison doubleheader against Saint Francis (Pa.) on March 26 was postponed, so the next competition for the team will be a three-game home series against Holy Cross beginning tomorrow.