Friday, February 24
Orlando, Fla.
11:00:00 AM
Lehigh University
1-0
9
vs
1
Morgan State
4-3
1
2
3
4
5
6
R
H
E
Lehigh
0
0
4
4
0
1
9
12
1
Morgan State
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
5
1
Lehigh opens season with two wins Friday at Citrus Classic
2/24/2017 6:17:00 PM | Softball
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Lehigh softball team enjoyed its opening day of the 2017 season, picking up two wins Friday at the Citrus Classic. Two home runs powered the Mountain Hawks to a 9-1, six-inning win over Morgan State in their first game of the day, while in the nightcap, senior Vicky Lattanzio delivered a walk-off RBI single to lead Lehigh past Ball State 2-1.
Three Lehigh pitchers combined to allow just one earned run on seven hits over 13 innings on the day. Senior Ashley Cole led the offense, reaching base six times on the day, while registering hits in her first four at-bats, including a three-run home run against the Bears. Freshman Reva Alderman debuted with a bang, hitting a go-ahead grand slam to give Lehigh the lead against Morgan State.
A triple and a single in the first two batters of the bottom of the first inning gave Morgan State (4-3) an early 1-0 lead in Lehigh's first game of the day. The Mountain Hawks went in front in the top of the third, loading the bases on three straight hits before Alderman came up with one out and hit a grand slam to center field, the first grand slam for a Lehigh player since Jessica Calvini hit one against Boston University in 2015.
Junior Rachel Timberman started the third inning rally with a double and opened the fourth with a single. Junior Nicole Yozzo followed with a single and then Cole stepped up and lined her fourth career home run out to right field, putting Lehigh up 7-1. After a walk to Alderman, sophomore Ashley Quidolit Rabago came on to pinch run. Junior Katie Schultz was hit by a pitch. Quidolit Rabago took third on the front end of a double steal, and scored Lehigh's eighth run on a throwing error.
Schultz singled Cole home in the sixth inning to put Lehigh up by eight and freshman Parker Boyd retired the Bears in order to close out the opening game victory.
Senior Christine Campbell started in the circle for Lehigh an earned the win, allowing a run on four hits in four innings with a walk and six strikeouts. Boyd allowed a single to the first batter she faced, then struck out the next five before coaxing a game-ending ground out.
Lehigh had 12 hits against Morgan State, with Cole going 3-for-3 and Yozzo, Schultz and Timberman each adding two hits.
The Mountain Hawks' second game of the day against Ball State featured significantly less offense with sophomore Emily Sorem and the Cardinals' Carolyn Wilmes working in-and-out of trouble to keep the same scoreless through five. Ball State (3-9) broke through with an unearned run in the top of the sixth as Savannah Wynn's RBI double scored pinch runner Tara Morey.
The Cardinals committed four errors in the final two innings, the first two of which helped Lehigh pull even after six. Cole reached on an error to lead off the home sixth, stole second and took third on a throwing error. After Lattanzio flew out, Alderman brought Cole home on a RBI infield single to tie the game at 1-1.
Boyd threw a perfect top of the seventh in relief of Sorem, who pitched well, allowing just the one unearned run on two hits, while striking out five and walking three.
Junior Carolyn Wright led off the bottom of the seventh with a single through the left side and moved into scoring position when Timberman reached on an error. After a strikeout, Cole reached on an error to load the bases and Lattanzio came through with the single up the middle, plating Wright with the winning run.
Boyd earned her first career victory in relief. Lehigh out-hit Ball State 7-2, with Quidolit Rabago leading the way with two hits against the Cardinals.
The Mountain Hawks will continue action at the Citrus Classic on Saturday with games against Georgia Southern at 3:30 p.m. and Syracuse at 5:45 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Campbell, Christine (1-0)
L: HAWKINS,E. (0-3)
Batting:
2B: Timberman, Rachel 1
HR: Cole, Ashley 1 ; Alderman, Reva 1
RBI: Cole, Ashley 3 ; Alderman, Reva 4 ; Schultz, Katie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Yozzo, Nicole 2 ; Cole, Ashley 3 ; Alderman, Reva 1 ; Rabago, Ashley 1 ; Timberman, Rachel 2
SB: Yozzo, Nicole 1 ; Rabago, Ashley 1 ; Schultz, Katie 1 ; Timberman, Rachel 1
HBP: Schultz, Katie 1
Batting:
2B: PITPIT,D. 1
3B: YOUNG,D. 1
RBI: VOSPER,K. 1
SH: BROWDY,M. 1 ; MORALES,A. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: YOUNG,D. 1
SB: YOUNG,D. 1 ; VOSPER,K. 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
rf/dp
AB
3
R
3
H
3
RBI
3
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
cf/rf
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF/OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF/OF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
C
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballLehigh Sports Central: Softball
Wednesday, April 30
2025 Season Preview: Softball
Thursday, February 06
Lehigh Sports Central: Softball
Wednesday, April 17
