Friday, March 4
Rock Hill, S.C.
1:00:00 PM
Lehigh University
4-2
1
vs
7
Kentucky
16-2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Kentucky
1
0
0
1
5
0
0
7
12
0
Lehigh
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
8
0
Mountain Hawks drop pair on opening day of Winthrop Invitational
3/4/2016 6:21:00 PM | Softball
ROCK HILL, S.C. – A pair of troublesome fifth innings hurt the Lehigh softball team on the opening day of the Winthrop Invitational Friday at Terry Field. The Mountain Hawks hung tough with No. 18/16 Kentucky in their first game of the day but five fifth-inning runs helped the Wildcats turn a 2-1 lead into a 7-1 victory. Lehigh then lost an early 1-0 lead as host Winthrop scored four two-out runs in the fifth inning to defeat the Mountain Hawks 5-2.
Senior Morgan Decker hit her 24th career home run and drove in two of Lehigh's three runs on the day as the Mountain Hawks fall to 4-3 on the season.
In Lehigh's first game Friday, Kentucky broke a 1-1 tie with a run in the fourth and five in the fifth and worked out of a pair of bases loaded jams to improve to 16-2 on the season.
The Wildcats struck in the top of the first with an Abbey Cheek RBI single off junior Christine Campbell.
Lehigh had leadoff singles in each of its first two at-bats and pulled even in the bottom of the third when senior Alexis Watanabe doubled to center with one out and scored on a single by Decker.
Kentucky regained the lead in its next at-bat on a two-out RBI single by Nikki Sagermann that scored Sarah Rainwater.
UK extended its lead with five runs in the fifth, with the big blow coming from a three-run double by Cheek, who was 3-for-4 with four RBIs against the Mountain Hawks.
Lehigh finished with eight hits and loaded the bases in the fifth and seventh innings but could not push any additional runs across as the Mountain Hawks left 10 runners on base.
Meagan Prince started in the circle for UK and allowed a run on eight hits with two walks and eight strikeouts as she improves to 7-0. Campbell suffered her first loss of the year (3-1) for Lehigh, allowing seven runs on 10 hits in five innings. Junior Vicky Lattanzio added two scoreless innings of relief.
Watanabe, Decker and freshman Ashley Quidolit totaled six of Lehigh's eight hits against the Wildcats.
Lehigh and Winthrop were scoreless through three innings in the Mountain Hawks' second game of the day. In the fourth, Lehigh loaded the bases with nobody out on singles by Watanabe and Decker and a fielder's choice. Sophomore Carolyn Wright brought Watanabe home with a sacrifice fly to give Lehigh a 1-0 lead but it would be the only run the Mountain Hawks would score in the frame.
The lead remained intact into the bottom of the fifth. The Eagles (8-7) finally got to freshman Emily Sorem. Kim Ryder tripled with one out and remained at third when Sorem induced a comebacker for the second out. A bunt single put runners on the corners and a bloop single to left by Paige Haley brought Ryder home with the tying run. Leah Young then put Winthrop in front with a two-run triple to the fence in right. Megan Winningham followed with an RBI single to put the Eagles up 4-1 after six.
Decker led off the sixth with a towering home run to right field, her second of the season. She is now one home run off Lehigh's career record of 25 held by Liz Lucas '13. Lattanzio was then hit by a pitch but Lehigh was unable to cash in any further in the frame.
Winthrop added an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth as Sharne Glover singled to right and an error allowed Ryder to come all the way around to score from first.
Sophomore Katie Schultz and Watanabe picked up singles in the top of the seventh as Lehigh got Decker to the plate with two outs as the tying run, but the senior flied out to right to end the game.
Sorem allowed five runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts as she falls to 1-2 on the season.
Dallas King earned the win for Winthrop allowing two runs on seven hits.
Watanabe and Decker finished the day with four hits apiece. Shultz also had two against the Eagles.
The Mountain Hawks continue play at the Winthrop Invitational with two more games on Saturday. Lehigh will take on Albany at 11 a.m. and Charlotte at 3 p.m., before wrapping up tournament action with a 10 a.m. Sunday rematch with Albany.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Prince (7-0)
L: Campbell, Christine (3-1)
Batting:
2B: Cheek 1
RBI: Steed 1 ; Cheek 4 ; Sagermann 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Steed 1 ; Samuel 1 ; Reed 1 ; Cheek 1 ; Rainwater 1 ; Rethlake 1 ; Stokes 1
SB: Steed 1 ; Samuel 1 ; Rethlake 1 ; Stokes 1
CS: Cheek 1
HBP: Ray 1
Batting:
2B: Watanabe, Alexis 1
RBI: Decker, Morgan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Watanabe, Alexis 1
HBP: Decker, Morgan 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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