BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The top two teams in the Patriot League standings after two weeks of league play meet for a four game series this weekend as Lehigh welcomes Bucknell to Kaufman Field. The Mountain Hawks (25-9-1, 6-2 Patriot League) began league play with eight games on the road, so Saturday’s twin bill serves as the league home opener for Lehigh, which leads Bucknell by one game in the league standings after two weekends of play.
After a record breaking start to the season, Lehigh is just 4-5-1 in its last ten games. The Mountain Hawks split four games at Lafayette last weekend, and settled for a loss and a tie in a midweek doubleheader with Villanova. Junior Lisa Sweeney ripped three hits to increase her average back to .400 and Alisha Gonzales drove in four runs to lead Lehigh against the Wildcats. In the circle, Sweeney will be looking to bounce back from one of her toughest outings of the season on Tuesday. Sweeney continues her pursuit of the school and Patriot League records for wins and strikeouts, as she enters the weekend needing six wins and 38 strikeouts to match both career marks, which are currently held by Emily Ling ’05.
Bucknell (14-21) comes to town winners of six of its last seven games. The Bison are 5-3 in the league, splitting four games at Lafayette and taking three out of four from defending champion Colgate last weekend. Bucknell earned a 2-0 win over Susquehanna on Thursday. Freshman Lauren Fry, the two-time reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Week, leads the Bison at the plate with a .341 batting average and 17 RBI, while senior Christie Wiest is Bucknell’s top pitcher, with an 8-10 record and 2.16 ERA.
Lehigh leads the all-time series over Bucknell 58-32 and the Mountain Hawks have won the last nine meetings overall and the last 27 Patriot League regular season games in the series. Lehigh outscored Bucknell 29-7 in sweeping four games in Lewisburg last season.
The Mountain Hawks and Bison will play doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday at Kaufman Field. Saturday’s first game gets underway at 1 p.m., while first pitch on Sunday is set for noon. Sunday’s twin bill will be broadcast online at Lehighsports.com with streaming audio powered by Yahoo! Sports.
