Saturday, May 7
1PM
Lehigh University
34-13, 0
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Holy Cross
7-35, 0
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Holy Cross
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Lehigh
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6
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Mountain Hawks sweep Senior Day doubleheader from Holy Cross
5/7/2016 6:27:00 PM | Softball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh softball team opened its final home series of the regular season by sweeping a doubleheader from Holy Cross Saturday at Leadership Park. Junior Christine Campbell limited the Crusaders to one walk and one hit in 10 scoreless innings before senior Jessica Calvini's RBI fielder's choice gave the Mountain Hawks a 1-0, 10-inning win in game one. The Mountain Hawks scored eight runs in their final three at-bats to break a 1-1 tie in a 9-1, six-inning win in the nightcap.
The sweep improves Lehigh's record to 35-13 overall and 13-3 in the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks can claim the Patriot League regular season title and the right to host next week's Patriot League Tournament with a win in Sunday's series finale.
"That first game was a dogfight," Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan said. "Their pitcher did a great job and fortunately, Christine pitched one of her better games in her career. She kept us in it and we were able to scratch a run there.
"In the second game our bats came alive a little bit," Troyan continued. "We had been hitting balls right at people but we got a couple of breaks in the game. Ashley Cole opened things up with a big hit and it was smooth sailing after that."
Campbell walked Hailey Mullen to open game one and gave up a two out infield single to Gabby Muniz in the second but was dominant the rest of the day. The junior retired the final 25 batters she faced to help keep Holy Cross off the scoreboard. Campbell struck out six on the way her to fourth shutout of the season as she improves to 19-7.
"She was in complete command," Troyan said of Campbell. "She had a great day and did a great job for us. We're going to need her to throw well tomorrow and into the Patriot League Tournament."
On the other side, Holy Cross' Gennifer Durham kept the Mountain Hawks at bay through nine innings. Lehigh stranded 12 runners for the game as Durham navigated several jams to keep the game scoreless.
A one-out double by sophomore Katie Schultz in the bottom of the seventh put the winning run on base, but Durham got a fly out and a lineout to send the game to extra innings. The first two Mountain Hawks reached in the eighth but after a failed sacrifice bunt, Durham induced a fly out and a pop out to force a ninth inning.
The Mountain Hawks finally broke through in the tenth as senior Alexis Watanabe reached on an infield single and then classmate MacKenzie Velasquez followed with a single to left center. An intentional walk to senior Morgan Decker loaded the bases. Durham struck out junior Vicky Lattanzio for the first out of the inning but Calvini hit a hard ground ball to shortstop and Taylor Wahler's throw home was off line allowing Watanabe to slide in with the winning run.
Lehigh struck quickly in game two as Watanabe led off the bottom of the first with a single, stole second, moved to third on a throwing error, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Decker.
Freshman Emily Sorem retired Holy Cross in order in the top of the first to extend Lehigh's perfect pitching streak to 28 batters before Taylor Moss led off the second with a single.
The Crusaders (7-36, 3-14) pulled even in the top of the fourth as Jaclyn Brewster led off with a triple to right and Mandy McCarthy singled her home two batters later.
Lehigh answered with five runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 6-1 lead. A walk, a sacrifice and a single put runners on second and third with one out after sophomore Rachel Timberman took second on the throw following her hit. Schultz gave Lehigh a 2-1 lead with a single into shallow right field. Junior Ashley Cole followed with a pinch hit RBI single through the left side, scoring Timberman to extend Lehigh's lead to 3-1. Schultz scored Lehigh's third run of the inning when she slid around the tag after Watanabe hit a ground ball to second base. Lattanzio capped the inning with a two-run single to put Lehigh up by five after four.
Cole's second RBI single in as many innings gave Lehigh a 7-1 lead in the fifth while a throwing error on her stolen base attempt in the inning allowed sophomore Carolyn Wright to score Lehigh's eighth run.
Needing just one more run to end the game, the first two Mountain Hawks reached in the home sixth. Lattanzio drilled a double off the top of the right centerfield fence allowing Velasquez to score the game-ending run.
Lattanzio led the Mountain Hawks with three RBIs in the nightcap and also added a scoreless inning of relief. Velasquez, Lattanzio and Cole each had two hits for Lehigh as the Mountain Hawks totaled 10 in the game.
Sorem improved to 15-6 allowing a run on four hits in five innings with five strikeouts.
Saturday was senior day at Leadership Park as the Mountain Hawks recognized Calvini, Decker, Velasquez, Watanabe and Carissa Zito along with team manager Shelby Fabian prior to first pitch of game one.
"This is going to be an almost impossible class to replace," Troyan said of his seniors. "Great hitting, great defense, great base running – a little bit of everything with this class. Zito is a great catcher. It's going to be a very difficult class to replace. I was just happy that they were able to get two wins on senior day."
Lehigh and Holy Cross will wrap-up their series with a single game Sunday at noon from Leadership Park. A Mountain Hawk win gives Lehigh the Patriot league regular season championship. A Holy Cross win or a Colgate win over Boston University will force Lehigh and Boston University to play their make-up game, which would be Monday at noon at Colgate's Eaton Street Field.
Sunday's Lehigh-Holy Cross series finale will be broadcast on the Patriot League Network.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Campbell, Christine (19-7)
L: Gennifer Durham (6-17)
Base Running:
SB: Taylor Wahler 1
Batting:
2B: Schultz, Katie 1
RBI: Calvini, Jessica 1
SH: Velasquez, MacKenzie 1 ; Timberman, Rachel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Watanabe, Alexis 1
SB: Rabago, Ashley 1
CS: Timberman, Rachel 1
HBP: Decker, Morgan 2 ; Wright, Carolyn 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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