Lehigh University Athletics
ESPN.com: Lehigh pulls off shocking upset of Aggies
5/19/2006 10:00:00 PM | Softball
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by Graham Hays
ESPN.com
AMHERST, Mass. – During the middle innings of Friday's opening game of the Amherst Regional between
For No. 13 Texas A&M, the top seed in the regional, the picturesque moment that preceded its game against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks turned out to be an even more sinister omen than the raven perched atop the bust of Pallas in Poe's famous poem.
And after pulling off a stunning 4-3 win in the damp air of
Although they've dominated the Patriot League for years, including a 37-1 record in the conference the last two seasons, the Mountain Hawks had just a single NCAA tournament win in their history (against Seton Hall in 2001).
But after traveling to places like
"Was it wet and cold today?" Lehigh coach Fran Troyan joked when asked about the conditions in
"We're a little different, not much," pitcher Kate Arico said of the team's mood compared to last season, when they were knocked out of the postseason following losses to
The Mountain Hawks helped themselves out early, jumping on Texas A&M ace Amanda Scarborough for two runs in the top of the first. Leadoff hitter Kate Marvel doubled down the line to open the game, followed by a strikeout by Lisa Sweeney and Lauren Haney reaching first after getting hit by a pitch. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch -- the first of several from
"It built confidence for us, that we could go and play against them, and we were just as good," Marvel said of the early action.
Lehigh added a run in the second, courtesy of two hits, a wild pitch and a passed ball and a run in the fifth on another RBI double from Sterrett. Other than that, they turned things over to Arico in the circle.
That it was Arico, and not Patriot League Pitcher of the Year Sweeney, in the circle turned out to be a sage bit of strategy from Troyan.
"After kind of evaluating the Texas A&M hitters and learning what we could from them, we really thought that Kate could get us into the fifth or sixth inning if she pitched as well as she could possibly pitch," Troyan said. "Which is really what happened today, because Kate does a very good job of changing speeds."
For most of the first six innings, Arico, who issued just 13 walks in 143.1 innings entering the tournament, frustrated the Aggies with her control. Texas A&M eventually rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth, the last two coming on a towering home run to center from Megan Gibson, but Sweeney came on to shut the door in the seventh.
After the win, Troyan still offered the humility of a man whose program rarely has an opportunity to play in the national spotlight.
"Honestly, for a program like ours to even step on the field with a program like Jo Evans' Texas A&M program, that in and of itself is an honor," Troyan said. "And I couldn't be more proud of the kids in my program."
Saturday, Lehigh will have a chance to write an even better ending.
Graham Hays is a regular contributor to ESPN.com's softball coverage. E-mail him at Graham.Hays@espn3.com.
