Lehigh tops Bucknell 7-3 for record 15th straight win

Sunday, April 5

Bethlehem, Pa.

12:00:00 PM

Lehigh University

24-3, 0

Bucknell

19-17, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Bucknell	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	3	8	1
Lehigh	2	0	2	0	2	1	X	7	13	1

Lehigh tops Bucknell 7-3 for record 15th straight win

4/5/2015 3:32:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh softball team scored twice in the bottom of the first inning and wouldn't look back, holding off a resilient Bucknell squad on a windy Sunday afternoon, 7-3. Juniors Jessica Calvini and Alexis Watanabe each tallied three hits to lead the offense while senior Emily Bausher pitched the complete game. The win marks the Mountain Hawks' 15th in a row, a new school and Patriot League record, as they improve to 24-3 overall and 8-0 in league play.

"We expected Bucknell to play really hard, come back and modify their game plan a little bit," said Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan. "They certainly did. It was a tough day out here again with the wind and I also thought Bucknell, like we did yesterday, caught a number of breaks today. They scored some wind-aided runs today, but we did that yesterday. In spite of that, I thought our team did a tremendous job of keeping their composure and fighting back. All in all, it was a great day."

Calvini finished a perfect 3-for-3 with a double, walk, two RBI and a run scored. Watanabe was 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and two runs. Freshman Nicole Yozzo, junior MacKenzie Velasquez and Bausher also finished with two hits apiece.

"I didn't even know it was a school and Patriot League record," said Troyan. "We're not really concerned about wins and losses; we're just concerned about being the best team that we can be on a daily basis. If we get wins, that's great. If we don't get wins, as long as we play well, we're fine with that as well. We haven't really thought about it too much."

Bucknell opened the scoring in the top of the first inning on a Kristen Zahn RBI double, which scored Cydnee Sanders all the way from first.

Lehigh responded with two runs in the bottom of the second. Yozzo singled on the first pitch, stole second then scored on a Watanable double. With two outs, Bausher singled to score Watanabe, making it 2-1 after an inning of play.

The Mountain Hawks scored twice more in the third inning as Watanabe and senior Morgan Decker opened the frame with singles. Later in the inning, Calvini plated two with a single to right field. Lehigh left the bases loaded, but still took a 4-1 lead after three innings of play.

Bucknell got right back into the game with two runs in the top of the fourth, one earned, to pull back within 4-3. Lehigh responded with two runs in the fifth as a single from Velasquez, along with a Yozzo bunt single, each scored a run to make it 6-3. One inning later, Bausher added insurance with another RBI single to give the Mountain Hawks a 7-3 advantage. Bausher continued to roll on the mound as well, wrapping up her 12th win of the season against just two losses.

Bausher allowed eight hits, three runs (two earned) and five strikeouts in her complete-game effort.

The Mountain Hawks to action on Wednesday when they host Hofstra in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. Streaming audio for those games will be available for free at Lehighsports.com.