Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh hosts Princeton in final tune-up for PL play
3/30/2010 2:30:00 PM | Softball
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh softball team returns to the diamond on Wednesday for its final tune-up before Patriot League play begins this weekend as the Mountain Hawks welcome Princeton to Kaufman Field for a doubleheader. The Mountain Hawks went 5-1 in the first half of their current 12-game home stand, sweeping a doubleheader from Penn last Wednesday before winning three of four games from Niagara over the weekend. Colgate visits Kaufman Field for four games this weekend so Lehigh will be looking for a strong performance Wednesday to head into league play on a high note.
The Mountain Hawks (12-8) batted .356 as a team last week and averaged seven runs per game. For Lehigh’s offensive output, sophomore Jen Colquhoun and freshman Liz Lucas garnered Patriot League awards on Monday as Colquhoun was named Player of the Week, for batting .529 with 12 runs batted in, while Lucas captured Rookie of the Week honors, batting .375 with nine RBI.
In addition, junior Alex Cueva has also been on a hot streak as of late. Cueva was 8-for-16 (.500) last week with four doubles, five RBI and ten runs scored. That performance vaulted her average over the .400 mark to .413 which is second on the Mountain Hawks behind sophomore Julie Fernandez, who is hitting .418. Colquhoun leads Lehigh with three home runs and 24 RBI.
In the pitcher’s circle senior Tiffany Curtis picked up four of Lehigh’s five wins last week to improve to 8-4, but enters Wednesday’s games looking to bounce back from two rough appearances on Sunday. Junior Bri Gaumer and freshman Rebecca Bliss both pitched well in short stretches last week, but neither was able to put together a full complete-game effort.
Princeton enters Wednesday’s doubleheader at 6-15 after dropping a doubleheader to Rutgers on Saturday and a single game to Lafayette on Sunday. The Tigers fell to 14-22 in 2009 after reaching the NCAA tournament in 2008. Nicole Ontiveros has been Princeton’s top hitter with a .301 average in 73 at bats, while Kelsey Quist has been the top run producer with three home runs and 14 RBI.
Jamie Lettire has thrown the most innings on the Tiger pitching staff but owns an 0-9 record and 7.66 ERA. Alex Peyton and Liza Kuhn could also see time in the circle.
The Tigers lead the all-time series versus Lehigh 28-8, but the Mountain Hawks won the last two meetings, 3-1 in April 2008 and 7-4 in an elimination game at the 2008 NCAA Amherst Regional. Lehigh and Princeton have been scheduled to play every year since 2003, but last year’s doubleheader in New Jersey was cancelled due to unplayable field conditions.
Wednesday’s doubleheader gets underway at 3 p.m. from Kaufman Field and all the action can be heard online at Lehighsports.com.
