Lehigh University
Rider
Sweeney ties season wins record as LU splits
4/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – Lehigh freshman pitcher Lisa Sweeney scattered three hits in seven innings, while striking out eighth to win her school record-tying 20th game of the season, as the Mountain Hawks defeated Rider 5-2 Wednesday afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader. The Brown and White had to settle for a split as the home team won game two 7-1. The Mountain Hawks are now 29-11 on the season, while Rider improves to 15-21.
The Mountain Hawks did their damage early in game one, racing to a 5-0 lead after two innings. With two out in the top of the first, junior Julie Sterrett drilled a three-run home run to right centerfield, her fourth of the season, to put the visitors up 3-0. Lehigh would tack on two more in the second, as sophomore Kate Marvel’s RBI groundout scored Taryn Hanley, and then junior Heather Hamasaki delivered a single to score Megan Conrad.
The Broncs tried to rally, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh but Sweeney, the reigning Patriot League Pitcher of the Week shut the door, tossing a complete game, allowing two unearned runs on three hits. She did walk four batters, but the eight strikeouts give her 160 on the season, already the third best single season total in school history. At 20-3 on the year, Sweeney needs just one more win to tie the league single-season win record, held by Colleen McCabe of Army, who won 21 in 1991.
In the nightcap, Rider capitalized on three Lehigh errors, and three uncharacteristic walks from senior starter Kate Arico, as the Broncs built a 7-0 lead with four runs in the third inning and three more in the fifth. Arico allowed seven runs, only one of which was earned, and ten hits, while striking out five, as she falls to 7-6 on the season.
Lehigh got its only run in the top of the sixth inning as Sterrett hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score Marvel. Sterrett was 3-for-5 with a homer, four RBI and a run scored in the doubleheader, while Marvel added four more hits in seven at-bats in the twinbill.
The Mountain Hawks will resume Patriot League play this weekend, when they welcome Colgate to Kaufman Field for a four game series. The Raiders are one of three teams (with Lafayette and Army) tied for second place, five games behind Lehigh in the league standings. Lehigh and Colgate will play a doubleheader on Saturday with game one slated for a 2:00 pm first pitch. Game two, scheduled to begin at approximately 4:00 pm, will be broadcast online at lehighsports.com with streaming powered by Yahoo! Sports.
