Lehigh University
Delaware
Lehigh drops finale at UMBC Spring Classic
3/21/2010 7:15:00 PM | Softball
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BALTIMORE, Md. – Lehigh battled back from a 6-1 deficit after an inning of play to tie its game with Delaware, but UD's Michelle Grap hit a one-out, game-winning home run to centerfield to give the Fightin’ Blue Hens a 7-6 win over the Mountain Hawks on the final day of the UMBC Spring Classic Sunday at the UMBC Softball Complex. Junior Alex Cueva and freshman Kristen Mitchell homered for the Mountain Hawks, but Grap’s home run gave Delaware the win and the championship of the UMBC Spring Classic. The Fightin’ Blue Hens went 4-0 on the weekend, while Lehigh was 1-3 and now stands at 7-7 overall.
Cueva put Lehigh, the designated visiting team, on the scoreboard with her second home run of the season in the top of the first inning, but Delaware answered with six runs off freshman Becca Bliss in the bottom of the first. Five straight Delaware singles to open the frame led to three runs, and after Bliss recorded two outs, Shanette White drilled a three-run home run to right to cap off the six-run frame.
Mitchell then belted her first career home run to centerfield with two outs in the second inning to bring Lehigh within four at 6-2 and the Mountain Hawks then took advantage of two Fightin’ Blue Hen errors to score three more runs in the top of the third to cut the deficit to 6-5.
In the top of the seventh, Lehigh rallied to tie the game at six. Senior Brooke Lewis pinch hit for freshman Rosie Roessel and reached on an error. Roessel then re-entered and stole second. A sacrifice bunt moved Roessel to third and she then scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly to left by Cueva. Lehigh put the go-ahead runs on base but freshman Liz Lucas grounded out to the circle to end the threat.
Bliss went the first four innings in the circle, allowing six runs on nine hits before giving way to Tiffany Curtis, who threw two scoreless innings, before serving up the home run to Grap with one out in the seventh. Curtis took the loss, falling to 4-3 on the season. Amanda Stacevicz came out of the bullpen to throw four innings of one-run relief to earn the win.
The Mountain Hawks will be back in action on Wednesday when they open their home schedule with a doubleheader against the Penn Quakers. First pitch for game one is set for 3 p.m. from Kaufman Field. Audio for both games can be heard online at Lehighsports.com.
