Wednesday, April 2
Lawrenceville, N.J.
3:00 PM
Lehigh University
6
at
0
Rider
Big first innings lift Lehigh to doubleheader sweep at Rider
4/2/2014 8:44:00 PM | Softball
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The Lehigh softball team rode a pair of fast starts to a doubleheader sweep of Rider Wednesday at Herb and Joan Young Field. The Mountain Hawks scored five first inning runs and got a combined three-hit shutout from seniors Ashley Quigley and Kelsey Lee to take the opener 6-0. In the nightcap, the Mountain Hawks got back-to-back-to-back home runs from Morgan Decker, Vicky Lattanzio and Jessica Calvini in the first inning and went on to win 10-4 in a game shortened to six innings by darkness.
With the wins, Lehigh extends its winning streak to 12 games as the Mountain Hawks improve to 16-10 on the season. Rider falls to 2-19.
In game one, Lehigh jumped on Rider starter Delany DeMello early as sophomores MacKenzie Velasquez and Alexis Watanabe led off with consecutive singles. Two batters later, freshman Vicky Lattanzio singled to center scoring Velasquez to put the Mountain Hawks up 1-0. After junior Cassie Waggy was hit by a pitch, sophomore Jessica Calvini doubled to right, plating two more runs increase Lehigh's lead to three. Sophomore Carissa Zito followed with a RBI single to right field and junior Brandi Hawkins drove in a run with a ground out to cap the five-run frame.
Lehigh tacked on a run in the fourth as Hawkins led off with a double to right center and eventually came around to score on a single to center by Watanabe.
The Mountain Hawk pitchers took care of the rest to secure Lehigh's seventh shutout of the season. Quigley threw four scoreless innings allowing just a one out single by Amanda Irving in the first inning. She struck out four and did not walk a batter as she improved to 6-2 on the season. Lee worked in and out of trouble to throw three scoreless frames as she stranded the bases loaded in both the fifth and seventh innings.
DeMello allowed six runs on 12 hits in a complete game effort for Rider, but falls to 0-6. Velasquez, Watanabe and Hawkins each had three hits in the opener.
Game two saw the Mountain Hawks score four times after accomplish something that is believed to have never previously happen in school history. Velasquez drew a leadoff walk, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. After a groundout by Watanabe, Decker smacked a two-run home run to right field, her fifth of the season, to put the Mountain Hawks on the board. Lattanzio followed with her first career home run and then Calvini capped the three consecutive homers with her second of the year, a solo shot to left.
Rider battled back to tie the game at 4-4 as Gina McCool singled home two runs against freshman Christine Campbell in the first inning and in the second plated two more on a RBI single by DeMello and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Dana Sensi.
Lehigh used another big inning to go in front for good as the Mountain Hawks scored six runs in the top of the third. A walk, a hit batter and two wild pitches gave Lehigh runners on second and third with two outs. Hawkins then clubbed a three-run home run to left, her first career big fly, to put the Mountain Hawks in front 7-4. After two more singles, Watanabe doubled to left to put the Mountain Hawks up by five, before Decker capped the outburst with a double to center, bringing home Watanabe to give Lehigh a 10-4 advantage.
Campbell navigated through some trouble in the final three innings to keep the Broncs off the board and the game was called due to darkness after six innings. She allowed four runs on six hits in six innings to earn the win, improving to 7-3. Campbell struck out four and worked around five walks.
Montana Berg went the first 2.2 innings for Rider and took the loss, allowing ten runs on nine hits. Lehigh finished with 11 hits in the nightcap with Decker leading the way with three.
Lehigh's four home runs were the most in a game since the Mountain Hawks hit four in their Patriot League championship-clinching 14-0, five inning win over Colgate in 2011.
The Mountain Hawks will return to Patriot League play this weekend when they visit league newcomer Boston University for a three-game series. Lehigh and BU will play a doubleheader Saturday at noon followed by a single game Sunday at noon.
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