Lehigh University
Gardner-Webb
Lehigh splits doubleheader at Gardner-Webb
2/21/2009 5:30:00 PM | Softball
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BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Lehigh finished up its opening weekend of action by splitting a doubleheader with Gardner-Webb Saturday at Varsity Field. Freshman Jen Colquhoun belted a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh to lead the Mountain Hawks to a 7-5 win in the opener, before the host Runnin’ Bulldogs out-slugged the Brown and White 16-11 to take the nightcap. The Mountain Hawks now stand at 3-1 on the season, while Gardner-Webb is now 4-4.
Saturday’s doubleheader was necessitated when Howard had to return home due to an emergency.
Colquhoun’s game-winning blast was the third home run of game one for Lehigh, which had to come from behind twice to pick up its third straight win to start the season.
Gardner-Webb, the designated visiting team in game one, took an early 2-0 lead on a first-inning two-run home run by Christa Fullwood, the first of four hits in the game for her.
The Mountain Hawks battled back with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, as freshman Julie Fernandez tied the game with her second two-run home run in as many days, and then sophomore Carly Potock brought home senior Kristyn Kubiak with a two-out single.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs went back in front with three runs in the top of the fifth, but Lehigh pulled even with two in the sixth on a home run by sophomore Sam Miller and a sacrifice fly off the bat of senior Whitney Lowe.
In the seventh, Colquhoun stepped to the plate with a runner on second base and two outs and drove a Christine Murray offering over the fence in left to give the Mountain Hawks the victory.
In the circle, senior Lisa Sweeney allowed five runs on 12 hits, but notched her second win of the season, striking out nine in the ballgame to move to 2-0. Sweeney also drew four walks at the plate for Lehigh, which was out-hit 12-7 by Gardner-Webb.
The day’s second game was nothing short of wild, with the same two teams combining to score 27 runs on 27 hits, including a combined 18 runs in the game’s first two innings.
Gardner-Webb struck first for two runs in the bottom of the first on RBI singles from Kelly Montgomery and Mandy Ward, before the Mountain Hawks answered with nine runs in the top of the second.
Lehigh sent 13 batters to the plate in the second inning. Junior Brooke Lewis pulled the Mountain Hawks even with a one-out two-run single to right center. Potock, later reached on an error allowing Lewis to score the go-ahead run, and Lowe then followed Potock with a two-run single up the middle. The big blow in the inning came from Sweeney, who came up with the bases loaded and drilled a grand slam to centerfield, her third home run of the season, to cap the nine-run explosion.
The lead was short-lived however, as Gardner-Webb answered with seven runs in its half of the second. A RBI single from Melody Harrell started the run, before Montgomery answered Sweeney’s grand slam with a grand slam of her own, to make it 9-7 Lehigh. A two-run double by McKenzie Morenus tied the game at nine after two innings.
In the third inning sophomore Bri Gaumer replaced junior Tiffany Curtis in the circle and was immediately greeted with a solo home run by Harrell, which gave Gardner-Webb the lead for good. The Runnin’ Bulldogs added two more runs in the third, one in the fourth and three more in the sixth to hand Lehigh its first loss of the year.
Lehigh mustered two more runs on the day on a sixth-inning RBI double by Lowe and a seventh-inning pinch-hit home run by Kubiak.
Curtis totaled four innings in the circle, allowing 12 runs on 11 hits. Gaumer pitched the middle two innings and suffered the loss, to drop to 0-1 on the season.
Fullwood added four more hits in the nightcap, to finish the day 8-for-8 at the plate.
The Mountain Hawks will be back on the diamond on Sunday, March 1st when they head to Kissimmee, Florida for the Rebel Spring Games. Lehigh will face Fairfield at 9 a.m. and Niagara at 11 a.m.
