Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh opens homestand against regional power Hofstra
4/19/2011 11:18:00 PM | Softball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh softball team will take on a strong, out of league foe Wednesday when the Mountain Hawks open a regular season-ending 12-game home stand against the Hofstra Pride. First pitch for game one is set for 3 p.m. from Kaufman Field.
The Mountain Hawks are 22-17 overall with an 8-3 record in the Patriot League. They are looking to bounce back after dropping the final two games of their rain-shortened three game series at Colgate last weekend. Lehigh has won nine of its last 13 games with eight of those wins coming against Patriot League opponents Bucknell, Lafayette and Colgate. On Saturday, Lehigh handed the first place Raiders their first league loss, but Colgate rallied to sweep Sunday's doubleheader. Sophomore Liz Lucas doubled in each game to break the Lehigh single-season record but the Raiders tallied 21 runs on 30 hits to sweep the doubleheader and win two of three in the series.
Lucas' average has slipped to .342 but the sophomore backstop does have 16 doubles, six home runs and 33 RBI. Junior Julie Fernandez led the Mountain Hawks in five games last week, batting .588 with three doubles, two homers and ten RBI. Fernandez had two four-RBI games last week and is riding an eight game hitting streak. Colgate's Eaton Street Field was unkind to pitchers from both teams, but sophomore Rebecca Bliss beat the Raiders and is 11-4 with a 3.11 ERA.
Hofstra enters the week with a 28-9 overall record, including a 19-1 mark in its last 20 games. The Pride is currently tied with Georgia State for first place in the CAA at 11-1. Hofstra's lone loss in the last month came in its series finale at George Mason on April 10. The Pride swept three games from James Madison at home last weekend, outscoring the Dukes by a 30-9 margin.
Junior second baseman Jess Hirschbuhl is hitting .481 over the last 19 games, while sophomore D.J. Slugh is hitting .432 and was just named the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week. The Pride will look to lean on them for their offense as they lean on sophomore pitcher Olivia Galati in the circle. Galati won all three games of the James Madison series over the weekend, compiling 32 strikeouts and no walks. For the season, she now has a 10-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio and boasts a record of 19-6.
The Mountain Hawks will look to stray from history on Wednesday as they have a career record of 2-12 against the Hofstra Pride, with their most recent victory coming way back in 1995. More recent meetings between the northeast powers have often been postponed by rain. The teams met for a single game at Kaufman Field in 2007, won by the Pride 6-0, while Hofstra swept a doubleheader form the Mountain Hawks on Long Island in 2008, winning 2-1 in eight innings and 3-1.
Lehigh will follow this doubleheader up with four games against Patriot League rival Army, Saturday and Sunday at Kaufman Field. Wednesday's twinbill will begin at 3 p.m. with audio coverage of both contests available at Lehighsports.com.
MHT EP 12 - Softball
Friday, March 13
2026 Lehigh Softball Season Preview
Thursday, February 05
Lehigh Sports Central: Softball
Wednesday, April 30
2025 Season Preview: Softball
Thursday, February 06
