Saturday, April 27
Worcester, Mass.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
20-25, 0
4
at
2
Holy Cross
10-32, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Lehigh
0
1
0
0
1
0
2
4
7
1
Holy Cross
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
2
5
3
Lehigh picks up two dramatic wins at Holy Cross, highlighted by Sorem no-hitter in nightcap
4/27/2019 7:08:00 PM | Softball
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Lehigh softball team picked up a pair of dramatic victories at Holy Cross Saturday, using go-ahead hits in seventh inning of game one and ninth of game two for 4-2 and 2-0 wins. The first game saw senior Ashley Rabago break a 2-2 tie with an RBI triple then a few hours later, junior Lexi van Ooyen had a two-run single to break a scoreless deadlock. The biggest story of the nightcap was senior Emily Sorem, who tossed a no-hitter – the 14th in program history and first nine-inning no-no in the storied history of Lehigh softball.
Â
"I feel like this particular team, through no fault of its own, has been through a tremendous amount of adversity," said Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan. "They've done a great job of overcoming all the different things that have happened with the team, all the injuries and sickness and different things that have gone on. I feel like we're finally hitting our stride. It was nice for us to be in close games and come out on top in bot."
Â
With the wins, Lehigh is now 7-7 in Patriot League play, in third place in the standings. Army West Point is a game under .500 at 8-9, while Colgate stands 5-7.
Â
Sorem dazzled in a historic performance, tossing nine innings while seeing just three Crusaders reach base – via an error (in the second inning) and two walks (in the sixth and ninth). Sorem only struck out one as the defense stood tall behind her.
Â
"Em has overcome a lot," said Troyan. "To see her pitch at such a high level was fun for everybody within the program, and it was very rewarding for her to see it and know that all the hard work is worth it. She pitched to outs, pitched to contact and didn't give them anything great to hit. There were a couple great plays behind her. Lexi made a diving ball on a play in left field that saved a hit and a potential run as well. Em had the no hitter, but it was a total team effort."
Â
Despite the pitcher's dual in game two, the Mountain Hawks did have several opportunities. Lehigh loaded the bases in the fifth with two outs, but a line out kept the game scoreless. In the seventh, a Rabago two-out double was followed by an intentional walk to junior Mary-Hannah Smith, but a strikeout ended the threat.
Â
The Mountain Hawks would break through in the ninth as junior Emily Preble was hit by a pitch then sophomore Payton Alsobrooks and Rabago followed with bunt singles. After consecutive outs, van Ooyen came up with the clutch two-run single to give Lehigh the 2-0 advantage. Sorem shut the door in the bottom of the frame, working around a one-out walk.
Â
"It was really nice. Lexi has pretty much been a role player for us, but because of some injuries, she has started for us and done well," said Troyan. "She stepped up with the game-winning two out hit to knock in a couple runs. It was great to see hard work pay off for Lexi as well."
Â
Smith finished the nightcap 2-for-3 at the plate with two walks, while seniors Rabago and Jen Stoll each had two hits apiece.
Â
Lehigh jumped out to a 1-0 second-inning lead in game one behind a walk, sacrifice bunt, single and two errors. Holy Cross answered in the third with a two-out, two-run double to give the Crusaders their first (and what proved to be only) lead of the day.
Â
That lead remained intact until the fifth inning when freshman Jaelynn Chesson's double down the line scored Rabago, tying the score at two.
Â
Rabago came up with the big hit in the seventh, as her triple scored Preble to give Lehigh a 3-2 lead. Rabago proceeded to score on a wild pitch for the 4-2 advantage, which proved to be the final.
Â
Junior Parker Boyd was strong in the circle, allowing just one earned run in seven innings with four strikeouts. Rabago was 2-for-4 at the plate, the start of a 4-for-9 afternoon. Smith was the only other Mountain Hawks with multiple hits in game one, going 2-for-4. She finished the day 4-for-7 with two walks.
Â
The Mountain Hawks will close out the weekend series at Holy Cross on Sunday at noon and can be seen live on the Patriot League Network.
Â
Like Lehigh Softball on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Â
Â
"I feel like this particular team, through no fault of its own, has been through a tremendous amount of adversity," said Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan. "They've done a great job of overcoming all the different things that have happened with the team, all the injuries and sickness and different things that have gone on. I feel like we're finally hitting our stride. It was nice for us to be in close games and come out on top in bot."
Â
With the wins, Lehigh is now 7-7 in Patriot League play, in third place in the standings. Army West Point is a game under .500 at 8-9, while Colgate stands 5-7.
Â
Sorem dazzled in a historic performance, tossing nine innings while seeing just three Crusaders reach base – via an error (in the second inning) and two walks (in the sixth and ninth). Sorem only struck out one as the defense stood tall behind her.
Â
"Em has overcome a lot," said Troyan. "To see her pitch at such a high level was fun for everybody within the program, and it was very rewarding for her to see it and know that all the hard work is worth it. She pitched to outs, pitched to contact and didn't give them anything great to hit. There were a couple great plays behind her. Lexi made a diving ball on a play in left field that saved a hit and a potential run as well. Em had the no hitter, but it was a total team effort."
Â
Despite the pitcher's dual in game two, the Mountain Hawks did have several opportunities. Lehigh loaded the bases in the fifth with two outs, but a line out kept the game scoreless. In the seventh, a Rabago two-out double was followed by an intentional walk to junior Mary-Hannah Smith, but a strikeout ended the threat.
Â
The Mountain Hawks would break through in the ninth as junior Emily Preble was hit by a pitch then sophomore Payton Alsobrooks and Rabago followed with bunt singles. After consecutive outs, van Ooyen came up with the clutch two-run single to give Lehigh the 2-0 advantage. Sorem shut the door in the bottom of the frame, working around a one-out walk.
Â
"It was really nice. Lexi has pretty much been a role player for us, but because of some injuries, she has started for us and done well," said Troyan. "She stepped up with the game-winning two out hit to knock in a couple runs. It was great to see hard work pay off for Lexi as well."
Â
Smith finished the nightcap 2-for-3 at the plate with two walks, while seniors Rabago and Jen Stoll each had two hits apiece.
Â
Lehigh jumped out to a 1-0 second-inning lead in game one behind a walk, sacrifice bunt, single and two errors. Holy Cross answered in the third with a two-out, two-run double to give the Crusaders their first (and what proved to be only) lead of the day.
Â
That lead remained intact until the fifth inning when freshman Jaelynn Chesson's double down the line scored Rabago, tying the score at two.
Â
Rabago came up with the big hit in the seventh, as her triple scored Preble to give Lehigh a 3-2 lead. Rabago proceeded to score on a wild pitch for the 4-2 advantage, which proved to be the final.
Â
Junior Parker Boyd was strong in the circle, allowing just one earned run in seven innings with four strikeouts. Rabago was 2-for-4 at the plate, the start of a 4-for-9 afternoon. Smith was the only other Mountain Hawks with multiple hits in game one, going 2-for-4. She finished the day 4-for-7 with two walks.
Â
The Mountain Hawks will close out the weekend series at Holy Cross on Sunday at noon and can be seen live on the Patriot League Network.
Â
Like Lehigh Softball on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Boyd, Parker (11-10)
L: Alexandra Held (4-13)
Batting:
2B: Chesson, Jaelynn 1 ; Preble, Emily 1
3B: Rabago, Ashley 1
RBI: Rabago, Ashley 1 ; Chesson, Jaelynn 1
SH: Stoll, Jennifer 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rabago, Ashley 2 ; van Ooyen, Lexi 1 ; Preble, Emily 1
SB: Rabago, Ashley 1
Batting:
2B: Jessie Nagel 1
RBI: Jessie Nagel 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Bailey Chavez 1 ; Alexandra Held 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C/OF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballP/UT
/ Softball
C
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF/UT
/ SoftballLehigh Sports Central: Softball
Wednesday, April 30
2025 Season Preview: Softball
Thursday, February 06
Lehigh Sports Central: Softball
Wednesday, April 17
