Sunday, April 14
Kaufman Field
12:00:00 PM
Lehigh University
3
vs
2
Army
Lehigh splits pair of one-run games Sunday versus Army
4/14/2013 10:48:00 PM | Softball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh and Army wrapped-up their four-game series with a pair of one-run games Sunday afternoon at Kaufman Field. The Mountain Hawks won the series but had to settle for a Sunday split as Lehigh took the opener 3-2 but let a 4-2 lead get away in the seventh inning of the nightcap as the Black Knights rallied for a 5-4 win.
The game two loss put a halt to Lehigh's seven-game winning streak as the Mountain Hawks are now 23-14-1 overall and 9-3 after three weekends of Patriot League play. Lehigh leads Colgate and Holy Cross by two games in the league standings. Army is now 20-19 overall and 5-7 in league play.
In game one Lehigh held off Army despite committing four errors, which resulted in both Black Knight runs being unearned.
Senior Becca Bliss worked out of a second and third, no out situation in the top of the first, and was helped out by a 5-4-3 double play in the second to erase a leadoff single.
Lehigh took the lead in the bottom of the second as sophomore Emma Capetz led off with a single, moved to second on a ground out, took third on a wild pitch, and then scored on an RBI single by senior Kristen Mitchell.
Army capitalized on a pair of two out Mountain Hawk errors to tie the game in the top of the third. Freshman Morgan Decker threw high to first base on a grounder off the bat of Amanda Nguyen for a two base error. Kasey McCravey then hit a nubber in front of home plate and Cassie Waggy couldn't handle the throw from catcher Liz Lucas. Nguyen came around from second on the play to tie the game at one.
Freshman Alexis Watanabe helped Lehigh regain the lead in the bottom of the third as she led off with a triple into the right field corner. Watanabe scored on a wild pitch by Army starter Jewels Steurer to give the Mountain Hawks a 2-1 lead. In the fourth, Watanabe extended the Lehigh lead with an infield single to shortstop that scored freshman MacKenzie Velasquez.
The Black Knights put together a pair of two-out hits in the fifth and pulled within a run at 3-2 as McCravey's grounder to second went through Watanabe's legs allowing Christian McKone to score from second.
Bliss did not record a true 1-2-3 inning but did benefit from a pair of double plays. She worked around a leadoff single in the sixth and a one out walk in the seventh to close out her 13th win of the season. Bliss allowed two unearned runs on six hits in seven innings of work, walking one and striking out one as she improves to 13-6.
Steurer suffered her second loss of the weekend, allowing two runs on four hits in 2.2 innings of work. Braetana Roy threw the final 3.1 innings and allowed a run on three hits. The Black Knights also turned two double plays to thwart Lehigh rallies.
Army took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first in game two, as Nguyen scored on a wild pitch by sophomore Emily and Alex Reynolds s
cored on an error by Capetz.
cored on an error by Capetz. The Mountain Hawks answered right back with three runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 3-2 lead. Senior Rosie Roessel and Watanabe started things off with back-to-back singled before Decker laced a double to left center scoring Roessel with Lehigh's first run. Lehigh then took the lead on consecutive RBI ground outs by Lucas and Bausher.
In the sixth, Army threatened after Lehigh was twice unable to turn double plays, but Bausher struck out Rae Anne Payleitner looking with the bases loaded to end the threat.
Lehigh capitalized on an Army error to score an unearned run with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Army second baseman Alex Gaff dropped a popup off the bat of freshman Jessica Calvini. After a pinch hit single by Waggy, Velasquez dunked a single down the left field line to score Calvini and give the Mountain Hawks a 4-2 lead after six.
Army's seventh-inning rally began with an infield single by McKone. They key play in the frame came two batters later. With one out, McCravey hit a comebacker to Bausher who threw to second, but Capetz was ruled off the base as McKone slid in safely to put runners on first and second. Reynolds then singled to center, which should have loaded the bases, but Roessel couldn't come up with the ball cleanly and the error allowed McKone to score to make the score 4-3 Lehigh. With runners on second and third, Marina Northup singled down the left field line, bringing home two runs to put Army up 5-4.
Watanabe led off the bottom of the seventh with a bunt single and moved to second when Lucas drew a one-out walk, but Morgan Lashley got Bausher to foul out and retired Capetz on a comebacker to end the game.
Lashley came out of the bullpen to earn the win for Army, allowing an unearned run on five hits in five innings as she improves to 16-10 on the season. Roy started game two for the Black Knights and allowed three runs on four hits in two innings.
Bausher took the loss for Lehigh allowing five runs (three earned) on nine hits in seven innings while striking out six and walking two. She falls to 9-6 with the loss. Both teams finished with nine hits in the nightcap and both teams left eight runners on base in game two.
Lehigh has now won 3-of-4 games in all three of its Patriot League series.
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