Lehigh University Athletics
Thursday, May 7
12 PM
Lehigh University
vs
Army West Point
Lehigh to host Patriot League Tournament beginning Thursday at Leadership Park
5/6/2015 1:38:00 PM | Softball, Tickets
Lehigh PLT Notes | Watch on PLN | Live Stats | Tournament Central
Release:Â Bausher, Yozzo win major awards as Lehigh places nine on All-League teams
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh softball team looks to end a two-year title drought as the Mountain Hawks host the 2015 Patriot League Tournament beginning Thursday at new Leadership Park. The Mountain Hawks have won a league-best 12 tournament crowns but came up short in each of the last two years. Lehigh will seek its eighth league tournament championship in the last 12 years and will try to reach the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2012.
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The Mountain Hawks come in having won six straight games and 11 of their last 12 to win their fourth straight regular season title by four games. Lehigh finished the regular season at 36-7 overall and 16-2 in the league. The Mountain Hawks will open the double-elimination tournament against No. 4 seed and longtime nemesis Army West Point. The rest of the field features No. 2 seed Bucknell and No. 3 Colgate.
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Admission is free for all three days of tournament action. Last month, the Mountain Hawks finally moved into their new home field, Leadership Park, located just west of the Ulrich Sports Complex on the Goodman Campus. Lehigh has played four games so far on its new home field, beating Villanova 7-1 in the opener on April 22 and winning two of three games from Army West Point April 25-26.
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The Mountain Hawks hosted 11 of the last 13 Patriot League Tournaments at Kaufman FIeld, where the team played its first eight home games this season, going 6-2.
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Lehigh placed a league-best nine student-athletes on the All-Patriot League teams and won a pair of major awards announced Wednesday. Senior Emily Bausher was named Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive year and was also voted Scholar-Athlete of the Year for softball on Tuesday. Freshman Nicole Yozzo was named Rookie of the Year. Bausher was one of five first-team all-league selections for Lehigh while Yozzo led the Mountain Hawks' four second-team selections. Bausher is now a four-time all-league selection (three-time first team). Senior Emma Capetz and juniors Morgan Decker and Alexis Watanabe are now all three-time all-league selections.
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Lehigh's 36-7 regular season was helped by some mid-March momentum. Following a 4-2 loss at USF on March 11, Lehigh reeled off 15 consecutive victories to break its own school and Patriot League record. The Mountain Hawks went 4-0 at the USF Spring Break Invitational, swept a doubleheader at Penn, won a single game at Delaware and started Patriot League play with eight wins over Lafayette, Boston University and Bucknell before Hofstra halted the streak with a come-from-behind 5-4 win in the first game of a doubleheader on April 8. Lehigh held the previous record of 14 consecutive victories, from April 17-May 10, 2013 before Army bested the Mountain Hawks in the championship round of the Patriot League Tournament on May 11.
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Fast starts in Patriot League regular season games were key to Lehigh's 16-2 league record. The Mountain Hawks outscored their opponents 119-21 in league games with the first inning proving to be Lehigh's most productive. Lehigh jumped on its opponents for 34 first-inning runs while allowing just three. The Mountain Hawks scored a first inning run in nine of their 18 league games and scored multiple runs in seven games. Lehigh scored 11 runs in the first inning of game two of its doubleheader sweep of Boston University on April 1 and also had a pair of five-run first innings, in game one against Bucknell on April 4 and the regular season finale at Colgate last Sunday.
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Lehigh and Army West Point will open the tournament in Thursday's first game. The Black Knights captured the first game of an April 25 doubleheader 2-1 before the Mountain Hawks battled back for an 8-1 win in the nightcap. Lehigh took the rubber game 3-0 behind a two-hit shutout by Bausher and RBI singles by Decker and Capetz. Decker and Watanabe both drove in three runs in the series, while Capetz was 5-for-9 at the plate with a pair of runs scored.
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Army West Point comes in at 23-25-1 overall. The Black Knights finished league play at 9-9 and closed out their league schedule with the series at Lehigh. Army West Point split a non-league doubleheader with Sacred Heart in its most recent action on April 29.
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Third baseman Kasey McCravey leads Army West Point offensively with a .404 batting average, eight home runs and 42 RBI. She also has 28 stolen bases to lead Yozzo by one. McCravey was a first team All-Patriot League selection and the Defensive Player of the Year. She was joined on the first team by freshman designated player Emily Gray.
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Kristen West is Army West Point's top pitcher, with an 8-9 record and 2.73 ERA. West beat Lehigh 2-1 in the series opener. Caroline Smith has thrown the most innings for the Black Knights and is 12-12 with a 4.72 ERA.
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Lehigh leads the all-time series versus Army West Point 81-34 and is 21-12 versus the Black Knights in the Patriot League Tournament. The Mountain Hawks are opening against the Black Knights for the tenth time. Lehigh won seven of the previous nine league openers with Army collecting wins in 2001 and 2014.
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In recent years, Lehigh defeated Army in the championship round of the 2012 tournament, while the Black Knights stunned Lehigh twice on the final day to win the 2013 crown. These two teams met in last year's opening game with Army winning 5-1 in nine innings.
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Thursday's other first round game matches No. 2 seed Bucknell against No. 3 seed Colgate. The Bison are 33-18 overall and have won 14 of 15 games since being swept by Lehigh April 4-5. Colgate is 16-19 overall but has swept Army and won two of three games from the Bison in March.
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The Patriot League tournament gets underway Thursday when the Mountain Hawks will face Army West Point in game one at 12:05 p.m., with Bucknell battling Colgate in game two at approximately 2:35 p.m.
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Games three, four and five are slated for Friday, beginning at 10:35 a.m., with the winner's bracket game between the winners of Thursday's contests. The championship round featuring game six and, if necessary, game seven is set for noon on Saturday.
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Streaming video of all Patriot League Tournament action will be available online for free via the Patriot League Network.Â
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TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday May 7:
Game 1: No. 1 Lehigh vs. No. 4 Army West Point, 12:05 pm
Game 2: No. 2 Bucknell vs. No. 3 Colgate, 2:35 pm
Friday May 8:
Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 10:35 am
Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 1:05 pm
Game 5: Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser, 3:35 pm
Saturday May 9:
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 12:05 pm
Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 2:35 pm*
* - if necessary
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Release:Â Bausher, Yozzo win major awards as Lehigh places nine on All-League teams
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh softball team looks to end a two-year title drought as the Mountain Hawks host the 2015 Patriot League Tournament beginning Thursday at new Leadership Park. The Mountain Hawks have won a league-best 12 tournament crowns but came up short in each of the last two years. Lehigh will seek its eighth league tournament championship in the last 12 years and will try to reach the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2012.
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The Mountain Hawks come in having won six straight games and 11 of their last 12 to win their fourth straight regular season title by four games. Lehigh finished the regular season at 36-7 overall and 16-2 in the league. The Mountain Hawks will open the double-elimination tournament against No. 4 seed and longtime nemesis Army West Point. The rest of the field features No. 2 seed Bucknell and No. 3 Colgate.
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Admission is free for all three days of tournament action. Last month, the Mountain Hawks finally moved into their new home field, Leadership Park, located just west of the Ulrich Sports Complex on the Goodman Campus. Lehigh has played four games so far on its new home field, beating Villanova 7-1 in the opener on April 22 and winning two of three games from Army West Point April 25-26.
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The Mountain Hawks hosted 11 of the last 13 Patriot League Tournaments at Kaufman FIeld, where the team played its first eight home games this season, going 6-2.
Â
Lehigh placed a league-best nine student-athletes on the All-Patriot League teams and won a pair of major awards announced Wednesday. Senior Emily Bausher was named Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive year and was also voted Scholar-Athlete of the Year for softball on Tuesday. Freshman Nicole Yozzo was named Rookie of the Year. Bausher was one of five first-team all-league selections for Lehigh while Yozzo led the Mountain Hawks' four second-team selections. Bausher is now a four-time all-league selection (three-time first team). Senior Emma Capetz and juniors Morgan Decker and Alexis Watanabe are now all three-time all-league selections.
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Lehigh's 36-7 regular season was helped by some mid-March momentum. Following a 4-2 loss at USF on March 11, Lehigh reeled off 15 consecutive victories to break its own school and Patriot League record. The Mountain Hawks went 4-0 at the USF Spring Break Invitational, swept a doubleheader at Penn, won a single game at Delaware and started Patriot League play with eight wins over Lafayette, Boston University and Bucknell before Hofstra halted the streak with a come-from-behind 5-4 win in the first game of a doubleheader on April 8. Lehigh held the previous record of 14 consecutive victories, from April 17-May 10, 2013 before Army bested the Mountain Hawks in the championship round of the Patriot League Tournament on May 11.
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Fast starts in Patriot League regular season games were key to Lehigh's 16-2 league record. The Mountain Hawks outscored their opponents 119-21 in league games with the first inning proving to be Lehigh's most productive. Lehigh jumped on its opponents for 34 first-inning runs while allowing just three. The Mountain Hawks scored a first inning run in nine of their 18 league games and scored multiple runs in seven games. Lehigh scored 11 runs in the first inning of game two of its doubleheader sweep of Boston University on April 1 and also had a pair of five-run first innings, in game one against Bucknell on April 4 and the regular season finale at Colgate last Sunday.
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Lehigh and Army West Point will open the tournament in Thursday's first game. The Black Knights captured the first game of an April 25 doubleheader 2-1 before the Mountain Hawks battled back for an 8-1 win in the nightcap. Lehigh took the rubber game 3-0 behind a two-hit shutout by Bausher and RBI singles by Decker and Capetz. Decker and Watanabe both drove in three runs in the series, while Capetz was 5-for-9 at the plate with a pair of runs scored.
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Army West Point comes in at 23-25-1 overall. The Black Knights finished league play at 9-9 and closed out their league schedule with the series at Lehigh. Army West Point split a non-league doubleheader with Sacred Heart in its most recent action on April 29.
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Third baseman Kasey McCravey leads Army West Point offensively with a .404 batting average, eight home runs and 42 RBI. She also has 28 stolen bases to lead Yozzo by one. McCravey was a first team All-Patriot League selection and the Defensive Player of the Year. She was joined on the first team by freshman designated player Emily Gray.
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Kristen West is Army West Point's top pitcher, with an 8-9 record and 2.73 ERA. West beat Lehigh 2-1 in the series opener. Caroline Smith has thrown the most innings for the Black Knights and is 12-12 with a 4.72 ERA.
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Lehigh leads the all-time series versus Army West Point 81-34 and is 21-12 versus the Black Knights in the Patriot League Tournament. The Mountain Hawks are opening against the Black Knights for the tenth time. Lehigh won seven of the previous nine league openers with Army collecting wins in 2001 and 2014.
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In recent years, Lehigh defeated Army in the championship round of the 2012 tournament, while the Black Knights stunned Lehigh twice on the final day to win the 2013 crown. These two teams met in last year's opening game with Army winning 5-1 in nine innings.
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Thursday's other first round game matches No. 2 seed Bucknell against No. 3 seed Colgate. The Bison are 33-18 overall and have won 14 of 15 games since being swept by Lehigh April 4-5. Colgate is 16-19 overall but has swept Army and won two of three games from the Bison in March.
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The Patriot League tournament gets underway Thursday when the Mountain Hawks will face Army West Point in game one at 12:05 p.m., with Bucknell battling Colgate in game two at approximately 2:35 p.m.
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Games three, four and five are slated for Friday, beginning at 10:35 a.m., with the winner's bracket game between the winners of Thursday's contests. The championship round featuring game six and, if necessary, game seven is set for noon on Saturday.
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Streaming video of all Patriot League Tournament action will be available online for free via the Patriot League Network.Â
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TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday May 7:
Game 1: No. 1 Lehigh vs. No. 4 Army West Point, 12:05 pm
Game 2: No. 2 Bucknell vs. No. 3 Colgate, 2:35 pm
Friday May 8:
Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 10:35 am
Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 1:05 pm
Game 5: Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser, 3:35 pm
Saturday May 9:
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 12:05 pm
Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 2:35 pm*
* - if necessary
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Players Mentioned
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