Saturday, March 28
Easton, Pa.
1:30 PM
Lehigh University
at
Lafayette
Lehigh-Lafayette softball series to begin Saturday in Easton
3/27/2015 12:18:00 PM | Softball
Watch on PLN | The Rivalry: Lehigh vs. Lafayette
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry with add another chapter to its history this weekend, as the Mountain Hawks and Leopards battle on the softball field for a three-game series in Easton. The Mountain Hawks have won seven straight games overall, including a 5-2 win at Delaware Wednesday.
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Lehigh's record is an impressive 16-3, while Lafayette enters the weekend at 1-16.
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Although Lehigh are favorites on paper, the Mountain Hawks must be prepared for Lafayette team that will bring their best. The rivalry between Lehigh and Lafayette runs deep, and anything is possible when the Mountain Hawks and the Leopards get together.
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"The atmosphere that comes along with playing your rival gets anyone pumped," said senior catcher Brandi Hawkins. "We have to take our opponent seriously, no matter who it is. The Lafayette games are bigger than the softball team, they're about a tradition that all of Lehigh shares."
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Lehigh's success so far this season has been the result of a total team effort. Senior pitcher Emily Bausher, junior Jessica Calvini, and freshman outfielder Nicole Yozzo have stood out.
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Bausher owns a 7-3 record on the year with three shutouts and leads the team with a 1.53 earned run average.
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Calvini is tied for the team lead in RBI's with 12 and is batting .321 on the season. She was named Patriot League Player of the Week for her performance in a doubleheader sweep of Penn on March 18.
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Yozzo has been impressive in her first season as a Mountain Hawk. She leads the team in batting average (.463) and hits (31), and has excelled in the leadoff hitter role thanks to her speed and knack for getting on base.
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For the Mountain Hawk seniors, this will be their last opportunity to represent Lehigh in the rivalry. As seniors, one of their goals is to show the freshmen in the program the way that Lehigh softball does things.
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"One of the most fun parts of the Lafayette series is getting to show the freshman how much it means to everyone," Hawkins said. "It's fun for them to experience it first-hand so they believe in it and understand it too."
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Tradition is a trademark of the Lehigh student-athlete experience, and senior Cassie Waggy understands that the Lafayette matchup applies to every sport.
Â
"Even though the rivalry is more known for football, it still applies to softball," Waggy said. "The Lehigh atmosphere is rooted in tradition and the rivalry itself is another tradition that Lehigh has. That's my favorite part about this rivalry."
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Lehigh softball has seen immense success over Lafayette in recent years. Their last loss to the Leopards came in 2013, which was the Leopards first win against them since 2008. In 2014, Lehigh outscored the Leopards 17-2 in a three-game sweep at Kaufman Field.
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This weekend's series also marks the start of Patriot League play for both teams. Lehigh's series with Boston University last weekend was postponed due to weather and field conditions while Lafayette was unable to play its series at Bucknell.
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Lafayette last played on March 18 when the Leopards picked up their lone win of the season in a doubleheader split at UMBC. The Leopards dropped their first 15 games, including several contests against tough squads from Virginia Tech and Maryland before breaking through for a 1-0 win over the Retrievers.
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Bryn Gornick leads the Lafayette offense with a .273 average and five RBI, while Lindsey Cherry has thrown the most innings on the pitching staff (31.1) and has the lone win to go along with a team-leading 5.36 ERA.
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Lehigh leads the all-time series versus the Leopards 86-23 and will play in Easton for the first time since 2012.
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A single game will take place Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Lafayette's Metzgar Fields Athletic Complex. The following day a doubleheader will be played, with the first game starting at noon. Lafayette will provide streaming video for all three games via the Patriot League Network.
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Story by Alex Buford '15
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry with add another chapter to its history this weekend, as the Mountain Hawks and Leopards battle on the softball field for a three-game series in Easton. The Mountain Hawks have won seven straight games overall, including a 5-2 win at Delaware Wednesday.
Â
Lehigh's record is an impressive 16-3, while Lafayette enters the weekend at 1-16.
Â
Although Lehigh are favorites on paper, the Mountain Hawks must be prepared for Lafayette team that will bring their best. The rivalry between Lehigh and Lafayette runs deep, and anything is possible when the Mountain Hawks and the Leopards get together.
Â
"The atmosphere that comes along with playing your rival gets anyone pumped," said senior catcher Brandi Hawkins. "We have to take our opponent seriously, no matter who it is. The Lafayette games are bigger than the softball team, they're about a tradition that all of Lehigh shares."
Â
Lehigh's success so far this season has been the result of a total team effort. Senior pitcher Emily Bausher, junior Jessica Calvini, and freshman outfielder Nicole Yozzo have stood out.
Â
Bausher owns a 7-3 record on the year with three shutouts and leads the team with a 1.53 earned run average.
Â
Calvini is tied for the team lead in RBI's with 12 and is batting .321 on the season. She was named Patriot League Player of the Week for her performance in a doubleheader sweep of Penn on March 18.
Â
Yozzo has been impressive in her first season as a Mountain Hawk. She leads the team in batting average (.463) and hits (31), and has excelled in the leadoff hitter role thanks to her speed and knack for getting on base.
Â
For the Mountain Hawk seniors, this will be their last opportunity to represent Lehigh in the rivalry. As seniors, one of their goals is to show the freshmen in the program the way that Lehigh softball does things.
Â
"One of the most fun parts of the Lafayette series is getting to show the freshman how much it means to everyone," Hawkins said. "It's fun for them to experience it first-hand so they believe in it and understand it too."
Â
Tradition is a trademark of the Lehigh student-athlete experience, and senior Cassie Waggy understands that the Lafayette matchup applies to every sport.
Â
"Even though the rivalry is more known for football, it still applies to softball," Waggy said. "The Lehigh atmosphere is rooted in tradition and the rivalry itself is another tradition that Lehigh has. That's my favorite part about this rivalry."
Â
Lehigh softball has seen immense success over Lafayette in recent years. Their last loss to the Leopards came in 2013, which was the Leopards first win against them since 2008. In 2014, Lehigh outscored the Leopards 17-2 in a three-game sweep at Kaufman Field.
Â
This weekend's series also marks the start of Patriot League play for both teams. Lehigh's series with Boston University last weekend was postponed due to weather and field conditions while Lafayette was unable to play its series at Bucknell.
Â
Lafayette last played on March 18 when the Leopards picked up their lone win of the season in a doubleheader split at UMBC. The Leopards dropped their first 15 games, including several contests against tough squads from Virginia Tech and Maryland before breaking through for a 1-0 win over the Retrievers.
Â
Bryn Gornick leads the Lafayette offense with a .273 average and five RBI, while Lindsey Cherry has thrown the most innings on the pitching staff (31.1) and has the lone win to go along with a team-leading 5.36 ERA.
Â
Lehigh leads the all-time series versus the Leopards 86-23 and will play in Easton for the first time since 2012.
Â
A single game will take place Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Lafayette's Metzgar Fields Athletic Complex. The following day a doubleheader will be played, with the first game starting at noon. Lafayette will provide streaming video for all three games via the Patriot League Network.
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Story by Alex Buford '15
Players Mentioned
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/ Softball
IF/OF
/ Softball
C/UT
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
OF
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