Lehigh University Athletics
Thursday, May 10
Boston, Mass.
2:30 PM
Lehigh University
vs
Bucknell
Mountain Hawks ready for Patriot League Tournament beginning Thursday in Boston
5/9/2018 5:10:00 PM | Softball
Lehigh Tournament Notes | Watch on PLN | Live Stats | Tournament HomeÂ
Release: Lehigh lands three on All-Patriot League Teams
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - For just the third time in 28 years the Patriot League Softball Tournament will be held outside the Lehigh Valley. Boston University won its first Patriot League regular season title so Lehigh will visit Boston as the No. 3 seed for the four-team double-elimination tournament that begins Thursday at BU Softball Field.
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Lehigh has won a league-best 14 tournament crowns, including last season when the Mountain Hawks came through the loser's bracket to defeat the Terriers twice on the tournament's final day. This year, the Mountain Hawks have overcome a rocky start to go 18-9-1 over their last 28 games, including an 11-7 Patriot League mark. Three Mountain Hawks earned All-Patriot League honors, with senior Nicole Yozzo landing on the first team and sophomores Mary-Hannah Smith and Parker Boyd named to the second team. Lehigh will open the double-elimination tournament against No. 2 seed Bucknell. No. 4 seed Army West Point will open the tournament against the hosts from Boston U.
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Lehigh placed three student-athletes on the All-Patriot League teams. Senior Nicole Yozzo became a three-time All-Patriot League selection by earning a spot on the first team as an outfielder for the first time in her career. Sophomore Mary-Hannah Smith was a second team honoree at second base for the second straight year. Sophomore pitcher Parker Boyd earned her first all-league award earning a spot on the second team. Lehigh was shut out of the major athletic-based awards for the first time since 2011. The last two times the Mountain Hawks did not win one of the league's major athletic-based awards (2004 and 2011), they won the Patriot League Tournament.
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It's very difficult to enjoy postseason success without strong pitching and Lehigh will look to sophomore Parker Boyd and junior Emily Sorem to fill the void left by Christine Campbell, who was the MVP of last year's Patriot League Tournament after beating Boston University twice on the final day to take the title. Boyd has enjoyed a breakout sophomore season after seeing limited time as a freshman. A second team All-Patriot League selection, Boyd is 17-11 overall and 14-3 with 1.72 ERA over her last 18 appearances. Boyd suffered a loss at Boston U. and two at Bucknell but has come back strong as of late, winning her last six starts, including three shutouts and a pair of one-hitters. She has a 1.02 ERA and 45 strikeouts during that span. In her last outing, Boyd allowed two runs over 13 innings with a career-high 14 strikeouts against Holy Cross. Sorem has had an up-and-down year but is 4-5 with a 3.33 ERA over her last 12 appearances. She was a first team All-Patriot League selection last year and started a game in the NCAA Tournament.
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The stolen base has become a major weapon in Lehigh's offensive arsenal this season. Lehigh leads the Patriot League with 108 steals, 46 more than second place Boston University, and rank seventh nationally averaging 2.3 stolen bases per game. The Mountain Hawks' 108 steals have come in 121 attempts for an 89.3 percent success rate. Senior Nicole Yozzo leads the way for Lehigh with 44 steals in 47 attempts. Yozzo owns the Lehigh and Patriot League single season record for stolen bases and is currently tied for the NCAA lead in stolen bases per game. Earlier this season Yozzo became Lehigh's career leader in stolen bases, surpassing Tara Stine '99 for both the career and single season school records. Yozzo also set a Lehigh single game record with four steals in last weekend's regular season finale against Holy Cross. Junior Ashley Rabago ranks second on the Mountain Hawks with 22 steals in 24 attempts, including 17 straight to open the season. Together, Yozzo and Rabago have more combined stolen bases (66) than any league school has so far this season. Lehigh stole 42-of-47 bases during Patriot League play, led by Yozzo's 18. The Mountain Hawks stole 3-of-5 against Boston University, 3-of-3 at Bucknell and 9-of-10 versus Army.
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Lehigh and Bucknell will meet in Thursday's second game, set for 2:30 p.m. The Mountain Hawks won the opening game of their series at Bucknell 4-1 on April 13, with Smith homering and driving in three runs, but the Bison came back to sweep an April 14 doubleheader 5-0 and 6-1 to take the series. Seniors Katie Schultz and Rachel Timberman each went 4-for-9 in the series against the Bison.
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Bucknell returns to the Patriot League Tournament after a one-year hiatus. The Bison went 26-21-1 during the regular season and went 13-5 in the league. Bucknell had four players earn All-Patriot League recognition, led by first baseman Meghan Kovac, second baseman Lauren Hadley and pitcher Raeanne Geffert, who all made the first team and designated player Julienne Egofske, who made the second team. Hadley leads Bucknell with a .368 average, while Kovac has 13 home runs and 42 RBIs. Geffert is 17-10 in the circle with a 1.94.
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Lehigh leads the all-time series against Bucknell 92-43 and is 11-6 versus the Bison in the Patriot League Tournament. Lehigh has opened the Patriot League Tournament against Bucknell on five previous occasions. The Mountain Hawks are 3-2 in those games with wins in 1998, 2004 and 2016. The 1998 opener marked the last time Lehigh played in the Patriot League Tournament as the No. 3 seed. Bucknell knocked off Lehigh in the opening round in 2005 and 2010.
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Thursday's other first round game matches No. 1 Boston University and No. 4 Army West Point. The
Terriers swept the Patriot League major awards announced Tuesday and are 36-18 overall and 15-3 in the league, while Army finished the regular season at 26-26 overall and 10-8 in the league. Boston University lost one league game against each of the other three teams in the field.
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Boston University and Lehigh have alternated winning tournament titles since the Terriers joined the league in 2014. BU won titles in 2014 and 2016, while Lehigh prevailed in 2015 and 2017. Army's most recent title came in 2013, while Bucknell's came in 2010.
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The Patriot League tournament gets underway Thursday with the Boston University-Army game at 12:05 p.m., with Lehigh and Bucknell to square off at approximately 2:35 p.m.
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Games three, four and five are slated for Friday, beginning at 11:05 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 10:
Game 1: No. 1 Boston University vs. No. 4 Army West Point, 12:05 p.m.
Game 2: No. 2 Bucknell vs. No. 3 Lehigh, 2:35 p.m.
Friday May 11:
Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 11:05 a.m.
Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 1:35 p.m.
Game 5: Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser, 4:05 p.m.
Saturday May 12:
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 12:05 p.m.
Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 2:35 p.m.*
* - if necessary
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Release: Lehigh lands three on All-Patriot League Teams
Â
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - For just the third time in 28 years the Patriot League Softball Tournament will be held outside the Lehigh Valley. Boston University won its first Patriot League regular season title so Lehigh will visit Boston as the No. 3 seed for the four-team double-elimination tournament that begins Thursday at BU Softball Field.
Â
Lehigh has won a league-best 14 tournament crowns, including last season when the Mountain Hawks came through the loser's bracket to defeat the Terriers twice on the tournament's final day. This year, the Mountain Hawks have overcome a rocky start to go 18-9-1 over their last 28 games, including an 11-7 Patriot League mark. Three Mountain Hawks earned All-Patriot League honors, with senior Nicole Yozzo landing on the first team and sophomores Mary-Hannah Smith and Parker Boyd named to the second team. Lehigh will open the double-elimination tournament against No. 2 seed Bucknell. No. 4 seed Army West Point will open the tournament against the hosts from Boston U.
Â
Lehigh placed three student-athletes on the All-Patriot League teams. Senior Nicole Yozzo became a three-time All-Patriot League selection by earning a spot on the first team as an outfielder for the first time in her career. Sophomore Mary-Hannah Smith was a second team honoree at second base for the second straight year. Sophomore pitcher Parker Boyd earned her first all-league award earning a spot on the second team. Lehigh was shut out of the major athletic-based awards for the first time since 2011. The last two times the Mountain Hawks did not win one of the league's major athletic-based awards (2004 and 2011), they won the Patriot League Tournament.
Â
It's very difficult to enjoy postseason success without strong pitching and Lehigh will look to sophomore Parker Boyd and junior Emily Sorem to fill the void left by Christine Campbell, who was the MVP of last year's Patriot League Tournament after beating Boston University twice on the final day to take the title. Boyd has enjoyed a breakout sophomore season after seeing limited time as a freshman. A second team All-Patriot League selection, Boyd is 17-11 overall and 14-3 with 1.72 ERA over her last 18 appearances. Boyd suffered a loss at Boston U. and two at Bucknell but has come back strong as of late, winning her last six starts, including three shutouts and a pair of one-hitters. She has a 1.02 ERA and 45 strikeouts during that span. In her last outing, Boyd allowed two runs over 13 innings with a career-high 14 strikeouts against Holy Cross. Sorem has had an up-and-down year but is 4-5 with a 3.33 ERA over her last 12 appearances. She was a first team All-Patriot League selection last year and started a game in the NCAA Tournament.
Â
The stolen base has become a major weapon in Lehigh's offensive arsenal this season. Lehigh leads the Patriot League with 108 steals, 46 more than second place Boston University, and rank seventh nationally averaging 2.3 stolen bases per game. The Mountain Hawks' 108 steals have come in 121 attempts for an 89.3 percent success rate. Senior Nicole Yozzo leads the way for Lehigh with 44 steals in 47 attempts. Yozzo owns the Lehigh and Patriot League single season record for stolen bases and is currently tied for the NCAA lead in stolen bases per game. Earlier this season Yozzo became Lehigh's career leader in stolen bases, surpassing Tara Stine '99 for both the career and single season school records. Yozzo also set a Lehigh single game record with four steals in last weekend's regular season finale against Holy Cross. Junior Ashley Rabago ranks second on the Mountain Hawks with 22 steals in 24 attempts, including 17 straight to open the season. Together, Yozzo and Rabago have more combined stolen bases (66) than any league school has so far this season. Lehigh stole 42-of-47 bases during Patriot League play, led by Yozzo's 18. The Mountain Hawks stole 3-of-5 against Boston University, 3-of-3 at Bucknell and 9-of-10 versus Army.
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Lehigh and Bucknell will meet in Thursday's second game, set for 2:30 p.m. The Mountain Hawks won the opening game of their series at Bucknell 4-1 on April 13, with Smith homering and driving in three runs, but the Bison came back to sweep an April 14 doubleheader 5-0 and 6-1 to take the series. Seniors Katie Schultz and Rachel Timberman each went 4-for-9 in the series against the Bison.
Â
Bucknell returns to the Patriot League Tournament after a one-year hiatus. The Bison went 26-21-1 during the regular season and went 13-5 in the league. Bucknell had four players earn All-Patriot League recognition, led by first baseman Meghan Kovac, second baseman Lauren Hadley and pitcher Raeanne Geffert, who all made the first team and designated player Julienne Egofske, who made the second team. Hadley leads Bucknell with a .368 average, while Kovac has 13 home runs and 42 RBIs. Geffert is 17-10 in the circle with a 1.94.
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Lehigh leads the all-time series against Bucknell 92-43 and is 11-6 versus the Bison in the Patriot League Tournament. Lehigh has opened the Patriot League Tournament against Bucknell on five previous occasions. The Mountain Hawks are 3-2 in those games with wins in 1998, 2004 and 2016. The 1998 opener marked the last time Lehigh played in the Patriot League Tournament as the No. 3 seed. Bucknell knocked off Lehigh in the opening round in 2005 and 2010.
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Thursday's other first round game matches No. 1 Boston University and No. 4 Army West Point. The
Terriers swept the Patriot League major awards announced Tuesday and are 36-18 overall and 15-3 in the league, while Army finished the regular season at 26-26 overall and 10-8 in the league. Boston University lost one league game against each of the other three teams in the field.
Â
Boston University and Lehigh have alternated winning tournament titles since the Terriers joined the league in 2014. BU won titles in 2014 and 2016, while Lehigh prevailed in 2015 and 2017. Army's most recent title came in 2013, while Bucknell's came in 2010.
Â
The Patriot League tournament gets underway Thursday with the Boston University-Army game at 12:05 p.m., with Lehigh and Bucknell to square off at approximately 2:35 p.m.
Â
Games three, four and five are slated for Friday, beginning at 11:05 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.
Â
Streaming video of all Patriot League Tournament action will be available online for free via the Patriot League Network.Â
Â
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday May 10:
Game 1: No. 1 Boston University vs. No. 4 Army West Point, 12:05 p.m.
Game 2: No. 2 Bucknell vs. No. 3 Lehigh, 2:35 p.m.
Friday May 11:
Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 11:05 a.m.
Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 1:35 p.m.
Game 5: Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser, 4:05 p.m.
Saturday May 12:
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 12:05 p.m.
Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 2:35 p.m.*
* - if necessary
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Players Mentioned
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/ Softball
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OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
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/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
OF
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