Lehigh University
Lafayette
Lehigh sweeps Lafayette for eighth straight year
4/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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The Mountain Hawks outscored the Leopards 41-4 in the four game sweep and extended their winning streak over Lafayette (11-13, 3-5 Patriot League) to 33 straight games. Lehigh has not lost to the Leopards since 1999.
"On a very cold day, we went out and gave a workman-like effort, and I'm quite pleased with that,” said Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan. “It feels like we're starting to find a nice rhythm and we are continuing to progress with every game we play."
Game one saw the teams trade zeroes for the first three innings.
Lehigh tied the game at one in the fourth as senior Julie Sterrett scored on a wild pitch. The Mountain Hawks then took the lead with two runs in the fifth inning. Junior Taryn Hanley led off the inning with a home run, her second round-tripper in as many days. Classmate Kate Marvel followed with a triple, and scored on a fielders choice by senior Heather Hamasaki.
In the sixth, Lehigh put the game out of reach with a two-out seven run, seven hit rally. The Mountain Hawks benefited from four consecutive RBI hits as sophomore Whitney Lowe and Hamasaki hit back-to-back doubles, senior Lauren Haney tripled and Sterrett singled. Sophomore pitcher Lisa Sweeney ended the game with a bases loaded double.
Sweeney was equally impressive in the circle, allowing just one run on four hits, while striking out 10 and walking none as she improves to 10-4 on the season.
The Lehigh bats stayed hot, with 15 hits in game one. Marvel and Sterrett were each 4-for-4 at the plate, the first two four-hit games of the season for the Brown and White.
The second game of the doubleheader was the only game of the series that went the full seven innings. Lehigh plated a pair of runs in the home half of the first inning as Haney doubled home Hamasaki with two outs, and then came around to score on a Sterrett single.
Lafayette scored an unearned run in the top of the second, but Lehigh extended its lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the inning as freshman Brooke Lewis doubled home senior Whitney Schenbeck.
Ruckno’s second home run of the day made it 3-2 after three and a half innings, but Lehigh added RBI singles from junior Megan Conrad in the fourth, and Hamasaki in the sixth to secure the win.
Senior Stefanie Forlenza started in the circle and allowed one earned run on four hits in four and two-thirds innings. Forlenza struck out six as she improves to 2-3 on the season. Freshman Tiffany Curtis secured the final seven outs to nail down her first career save.
Lehigh pounded out 11 more hits in the nightcap, with Schenbeck, Conrad and Hamasaki registering two hits apiece.
The Mountain Hawks will return to the diamond on Wednesday, when they travel to
