KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Lehigh split a pair of games on Friday at the Rebel Spring Games, downing Saint Joseph’s 6-1 before falling to St. Peter’s 7-4 in the nightcap. The Mountain Hawks are now 5-3 on the season, with just two games remaining in their spring break trip to Florida.
The Mountain Hawks jumped on Saint Joseph’s early in game one. Heather Hamasaki doubled and Lauren Haney was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the first. Both scored when senior Mary Wieder drilled her second home run of the season over the right field fence to give the Brown and White a 3-0 lead. Lehigh tacked on a run in the second inning as Whitney Schenbeck scored on Mendy Martin’s bunt single, and added two more in the sixth after a two-run single from freshman Whitney Lowe.
Freshman Lisa Sweeney followed up on Wednesday’s no-hitter with another strong outing. The right-hander tossed a complete game, allowing just one run on five hits, while striking out ten, to notch her third win of the season.
Things looked promising early against the Peahens. Lehigh put two runs on the board in the top of the first, as Lowe slapped a bases loaded single that scored Hamasaki and Taryn Hanley. St. Peter’s got a run back off of Lehigh starter Kate Arico in the bottom of the first, but the Brown and White added two in the fourth inning, as Hamasaki singled to drive in two.
The Peahens made their comeback in the bottom of the fifth, as a Lehigh error led to four unearned runs. St. Peter’s tacked on two more in the seventh, to hand Lehigh its third loss of the season.
Sweeney (3-2) took the loss in relief of Arico, who tossed four solid innings. Hamasaki delivered a pair of hits for the Brown and White, while Wieder added a single in the seventh inning to extend her hitting streak to eight games.
The Mountain Hawks will wrap up play at the Rebel Spring Games with a pair of games on Saturday. Lehigh will face Butler at 4:10 pm and then take on Monmouth at 6:00 pm as the Mountain Hawks will look to avenge an earlier loss to the Hawks.
