Mountain Hawks' season ends with 3-1 loss to Bucknell in PLT

Friday, May 9

1:00 PM

Lehigh University

30-20

Bucknell

22-25

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Lehigh	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	1
Bucknell	1	0	0	0	2	0	X	3	9	0

Mountain Hawks' season ends with 3-1 loss to Bucknell in PLT

5/9/2014 6:36:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Cydnee Sanders' fifth inning RBI single broke a 1-1 tie as Bucknell went on to defeat Lehigh 3-1 in an elimination game in the Patriot League Tournament Friday at Kaufman Field. The Mountain Hawks led 1-0 early but the Bison scored the final three runs of the contest, and then went on to defeat Army 3-2 in Friday's second elimination game to earn a date with Boston University in the championship round Saturday.

<%--Softball vs. Bucknell (PLT), 5/9/14 Gallery--%>

With the loss, Lehigh's season ends at 30-20. The Mountain Hawks went 0-2 in the Patriot League Tournament for just the second time in school history and the first time at Kaufman Field.

Lehigh started strong against Bucknell starter Lara Bean, who had stymied the Mountain Hawks when the teams met last month in Lewisburg. Sophomore Alexis Watanabe led off the game with a single through the left side and took second base on an illegal pitch. Junior Emily Bausher then singled to right putting runners on the corners with nobody out.

Bucknell coach Bonnie Skrenta immediately called on lefty Amanda Fazio out of the bullpen and sophomore Morgan Decker greeted Fazio with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Watanabe to put the Mountain Hawks in front 1-0. Fazio would get out of trouble, retiring freshman Vicky Lattanzio on a fly ball to left and Cassie Waggy on a ground ball to third.

The Bison pulled even in the bottom of the first. Freshman Christine Campbell walked Mallory Lyons with one out and after Lyons stole second, issued a single to Sanders. Kristen Zahn then singled up the middle to bring Lyons home with the tying run.

From there, Fazio kept the Mountain Hawks at bay over the next four innings, while Campbell and then senior Ashley Quigley worked in and out of trouble.

Jacee Almond led off the fifth with a triple to right off of Quigley and Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan called on Bausher to try to keep the Bison off the board. Bausher walked Lyons before Sanders singled up the middle to score Almond with the go-ahead run. Bucknell added one more run as pinch runner Carolyn Wan stole third base and scored on a throwing error by catcher Brandi Hawkins to put the Bison up by two.

Fazio worked around a two-out single by Decker in the sixth and after a one out single by Capetz in the seventh retired the next two batters on a fielder's choice and a comebacker to end Lehigh's season.

Bean faced the first two batters of the game, but Fazio finished with a line of no runs on three hits in seven innings. She struck out three and did not issue a walk as she improved to 4-5.

All three Lehigh pitchers threw two innings, with Quigley taking the loss (7-6) as she allowed a run on four hits in two plus innings, striking out three. Campbell allowed a run on three hits with a walk and a strikeout in three innings, while Bausher allowed one unearned run on two hits in her two frames. Bausher walked one and struck out one.

Decker went 2-for-2 with a sac fly against Fazio to finish her sophomore season at .412 with nine home runs and 39 RBI.

Bucknell will meet Boston University in the championship round beginning Saturday at noon. The Terriers blanked Army 8-0 in six innings in Friday's first game, and need just one win to win the title in their first season in the Patriot League. The Bison must beat the Terriers twice on Saturday to capture the crown.

Lehigh loses five seniors from a team that posted the program's third straight Patriot League regular season title and its 14th straight season of at least 30 victories.