Lehigh University
Villanova
Mountain Hawks drop pair at Villanova
3/21/2009 5:45:00 PM | Softball
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VILLANOVA, Pa. – Lehigh suffered its second consecutive doubleheader sweep as the Mountain Hawks dropped a pair of games against Villanova Saturday afternoon at the Villanova Softball Field. The Wildcats capitalized on a four-run second inning to take game one 8-3 and scored single runs in the first and third innings in a 2-1 win in the nightcap. Freshman Julie Fernandez totaled four hits in the two games to lead the Mountain Hawks, who have dropped four straight games and now stand at 10-12.
Villanova has won nine of its last ten games as the Wildcats improve to 13-4.
In game one, the Mountain Hawks jumped out to an early lead when Fernandez doubled home freshman Audra wood in the first inning.
Villanova answered with four runs off Lehigh senior Lisa Sweeney in the bottom of the second inning. Christina Botkins tied the game with a bases-loaded RBI single to left field and two batters later Danielle Maricle put the Wildcats ahead with a two-run double down the left field line. Tessa Braga capped off the inning with a bunt single down the third base line.
Botkins extended the Villanova lead with a two-run double in the third to take a 6-1 lead. The Wildcats added single runs in the fourth and sixth innings, while Lehigh plated a run in the fifth, when freshman Jen Colquhoun was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and a final run in the seventh on an RBI single from Colquhoun that scored Sweeney.
Sweeney suffered her sixth loss of the season, allowing seven runs on nine hits while walking one and striking out three. Caitlyn Delahaba pitched the first four innings in the circle to earn the win for Villanova.
Meghan Morese was 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI in game one for Villanova. She added a pair of hits in game two, including a first inning RBI double to left center off of Tiffany Curtis, which put the Wildcats up 1-0. Villanova added a second run in the third inning when Jackie Dempsey scored on a wild pitch.
Lehigh scored its only run in the fifth inning as sophomore Carly Potock doubled to centerfield and scored on a single by Fernandez, who went 3-for-3 in the nightcap. The Mountain Hawks out-hit Villanova 8-5 in the nightcap and had base runners in each of the first six innings but could only muster the one run. Potock and senior Alisha Gonzales each had two hits in the nightcap for the Brown and White.
Molly Manning earned the win for Villanova, with Delahaba coming out of the bullpen for a two-inning save. Curtis walked three and struck out two as she took the loss, falling to 4-4.
The Mountain Hawks will be back in action on Sunday when they host the Lehigh Equinox at Kaufman Field. Lehigh will meet Boston University at 11 a.m, and Saint Joseph’s at 3 p.m., with the Terriers and Hawks doing battle at 1 p.m.
