Lehigh University Athletics
Saturday, May 11
Boston, Mass.
11:00 AM
Lehigh University
27-28
7
at
14
Boston U.
37-18
1st innning1
2nd innning2
3rd innning3
4th innning4
5th innning5
6th innning6
7th innning7
RunsR
HitsH
ErrorsE
Lehigh
0
2
1
0
1
3
0
7
10
1
Boston University
0
1
3
2
0
8
X
14
16
2
Sixth-inning surge sends Boston U. past Lehigh in back-and-forth championship game
5/11/2019 5:01:00 PM | Softball
BOSTON – The opening game of the championship round of the Patriot League Tournament was a wild, back-and-forth affair. Lehigh and Boston University combined for 21 runs on 26 hits. A three-run home run by freshman Jaelynn Chesson gave the Mountain Hawks a 7-6 lead after five-and-a-half innings, but the Terriers rallied for eight runs in the bottom of the sixth to claim their second straight league title 14-7, Saturday at BU Softball Field.
Lehigh hoped to force a seventh and deciding game to the tournament but BU's Madi Killebrew hit a three-run home run with two outs in the sixth, putting the Terriers in front and opening the floodgates for the eight run frame.
The Mountain Hawks also held leads of 2-0 and 3-1 but the Terriers always came up with an answer. Lehigh, which rebounded from an 11-21 start to win 16 of its final 23 games, ends its season at 27-28.
"It was such a hard-played, hard-fought game," Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan said. "I give Boston University a lot of credit. We went ahead a couple of times. They fought back, then we fought back again. They got the better of us at the end of the day. They made a few more plays than we did. That was the difference in the game."
The game began with a rematch of Friday's pitching matchup between freshman Gabriella Nori and Patriot League Pitcher of the Year Ali DuBois.
Lehigh got to DuBois for two runs behind a two-out rally in the second inning. Sophomore Payton Alsobrooks singled for Lehigh's first hit and the Mountain Hawks loaded the bases following an error and a walk. Junior Reva Alderman delivered a pinch-hit two-run single through the left side to give the Mountain Hawks a 2-0 lead.
Boston University pulled a run back on a double steal in the bottom of the second, but Lehigh added to its lead in the top of the third inning. A hit and a walk chased DuBois from the game. With two outs, freshman Carley Barjaktarovich singled down the left field line off Emily Gant, scoring Lexi van Ooyen.
The Terriers took their first lead with four runs in the bottom of the third inning. A two-out error allowed Kali Magane to score the tying run as what should have been a one-run inning turned into a three-run frame for Boston University. Gant helped her own cause with the go-ahead RBI single.
Senior Emily Sorem came in for Nori and got Lehigh out of the third inning. A two-run home run by tournament MVP Alex Heinen extended BU's lead to 6-3 after four innings.
Lehigh pulled a run back in the fifth as Barjaktarovich singled with two outs and came around to score on a BU error following a double by junior Emily Preble.
Senior Ashley Rabago and junior Mary-Hannah Smith opened the sixth with back-to-back singles before Chesson drilled Gant's 0-1 offering over the fence in left for her sixth home run of the season, putting the Mountain Hawks back in front.
Killebrew put BU back in front as she come up with two on and two out in the bottom of the sixth and homered down the left field line. The home run was the first of seven consecutive hits for the Terriers, who eventually built a 14-7 lead before Lehigh got out of the inning.
"In the moment, Jaelynn's home run was huge," Troyan said. "Emily had been very effective in the last part of the season. We felt good about having Emily out there. Heinen had beaten us a bunch over the weekend. She was tournament MVP and we didn't want her to beat us again. Last year's tournament MVP got us with that home run to put them back in front. We didn't make the most of the defensive opportunities we had but Boston University certainly made the most of their opportunities."
DuBois re-entered to set Lehigh down in order in the seventh inning.
"We talked to the team after the Seton Hall doubleheader about how they had to fight a little bit more and they absolutely embraced that," Troyan said. "They fought incredibly hard. Now that they've been here and we've been in this moment, we need to learn to play when the pressure is on. Pressure is truly a privilege. We need to make the most of that opportunity in the future when we have it."
Rabago and Barjaktarovich both had two hits as Lehigh finished the game with 10.
Sorem took the loss as she was charged with six runs on five hits over three innings with two walks and a strikeout. Nori re-entered the game in the sixth and finished with a final line of six runs (four earned) on eight hits in 2.2 innings. She walked one and struck out two.
Gant earned the win allowing four runs (three earned) in 3.2 innings of relief, and helped herself by going 3-for-3 with two RBIs at the plate.
Gallery: (5/11/2019) Softball vs. Boston U. PL Championship
Following the game, Nori, Smith and Chesson were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Saturday's game marked the final game for Lehigh's three seniors: Rabago, Sorem and Jennifer Stoll.
"We were here, playing in a pressure-packed game," Troyan said. "There were some opportunities we seized and there were some we left on the table. We need to make sure we recognize those opportunities and make every effort we can to seize those opportunities when they come up next year."
Like Lehigh Softball on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Lehigh hoped to force a seventh and deciding game to the tournament but BU's Madi Killebrew hit a three-run home run with two outs in the sixth, putting the Terriers in front and opening the floodgates for the eight run frame.
The Mountain Hawks also held leads of 2-0 and 3-1 but the Terriers always came up with an answer. Lehigh, which rebounded from an 11-21 start to win 16 of its final 23 games, ends its season at 27-28.
"It was such a hard-played, hard-fought game," Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan said. "I give Boston University a lot of credit. We went ahead a couple of times. They fought back, then we fought back again. They got the better of us at the end of the day. They made a few more plays than we did. That was the difference in the game."
The game began with a rematch of Friday's pitching matchup between freshman Gabriella Nori and Patriot League Pitcher of the Year Ali DuBois.
Lehigh got to DuBois for two runs behind a two-out rally in the second inning. Sophomore Payton Alsobrooks singled for Lehigh's first hit and the Mountain Hawks loaded the bases following an error and a walk. Junior Reva Alderman delivered a pinch-hit two-run single through the left side to give the Mountain Hawks a 2-0 lead.
Boston University pulled a run back on a double steal in the bottom of the second, but Lehigh added to its lead in the top of the third inning. A hit and a walk chased DuBois from the game. With two outs, freshman Carley Barjaktarovich singled down the left field line off Emily Gant, scoring Lexi van Ooyen.
The Terriers took their first lead with four runs in the bottom of the third inning. A two-out error allowed Kali Magane to score the tying run as what should have been a one-run inning turned into a three-run frame for Boston University. Gant helped her own cause with the go-ahead RBI single.
Senior Emily Sorem came in for Nori and got Lehigh out of the third inning. A two-run home run by tournament MVP Alex Heinen extended BU's lead to 6-3 after four innings.
Lehigh pulled a run back in the fifth as Barjaktarovich singled with two outs and came around to score on a BU error following a double by junior Emily Preble.
Senior Ashley Rabago and junior Mary-Hannah Smith opened the sixth with back-to-back singles before Chesson drilled Gant's 0-1 offering over the fence in left for her sixth home run of the season, putting the Mountain Hawks back in front.
Oh my! Lehigh puts the first two on in the sixth and Chesson drills one out to left to put Lehigh in front! Her sixth home run of the year.
— Lehigh Softball (@Lehighsoftball) May 11, 2019
Lehigh 7, BU 6
Watch @PatriotLeagueTV: https://t.co/o5ytexgsLf pic.twitter.com/ERPSNvYiuK
Killebrew put BU back in front as she come up with two on and two out in the bottom of the sixth and homered down the left field line. The home run was the first of seven consecutive hits for the Terriers, who eventually built a 14-7 lead before Lehigh got out of the inning.
"In the moment, Jaelynn's home run was huge," Troyan said. "Emily had been very effective in the last part of the season. We felt good about having Emily out there. Heinen had beaten us a bunch over the weekend. She was tournament MVP and we didn't want her to beat us again. Last year's tournament MVP got us with that home run to put them back in front. We didn't make the most of the defensive opportunities we had but Boston University certainly made the most of their opportunities."
DuBois re-entered to set Lehigh down in order in the seventh inning.
"We talked to the team after the Seton Hall doubleheader about how they had to fight a little bit more and they absolutely embraced that," Troyan said. "They fought incredibly hard. Now that they've been here and we've been in this moment, we need to learn to play when the pressure is on. Pressure is truly a privilege. We need to make the most of that opportunity in the future when we have it."
Rabago and Barjaktarovich both had two hits as Lehigh finished the game with 10.
Sorem took the loss as she was charged with six runs on five hits over three innings with two walks and a strikeout. Nori re-entered the game in the sixth and finished with a final line of six runs (four earned) on eight hits in 2.2 innings. She walked one and struck out two.
Gant earned the win allowing four runs (three earned) in 3.2 innings of relief, and helped herself by going 3-for-3 with two RBIs at the plate.
Following the game, Nori, Smith and Chesson were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Saturday's game marked the final game for Lehigh's three seniors: Rabago, Sorem and Jennifer Stoll.
"We were here, playing in a pressure-packed game," Troyan said. "There were some opportunities we seized and there were some we left on the table. We need to make sure we recognize those opportunities and make every effort we can to seize those opportunities when they come up next year."
Like Lehigh Softball on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gant, Emily (13-7)
L: Sorem, Emily (5-3)
Batting:
2B: Preble, Emily 1
HR: Chesson, Jaelynn 1
RBI: Chesson, Jaelynn 3 ; Barjaktarovich, Carley 1 ; Alderman, Reva 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Rabago, Ashley 1 ; Smith, Mary-Hannah 1 ; Chesson, Jaelynn 1 ; van Ooyen, Lexi 1 ; Alsobrooks, Payton 1 ; Barjaktarovich, Carley 2
Batting:
HR: Heinen, Alex 1 ; Killebrew, Madi 1
RBI: Huerta-Leipner, AJ 1 ; Heinen, Alex 2 ; Killebrew, Madi 4 ; Gant, Emily 2 ; Amodio, Nicole 2
SH: Ponce, Alexa 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Huerta-Leipner, AJ 1 ; Morrow, Emily 2 ; Heinen, Alex 2 ; Magane, Kali 1 ; Killebrew, Madi 2 ; Ponce, Alexa 1 ; Antonelli, Izzy 1 ; Gant, Emily 1 ; Horita, Jen 1 ; Amodio, Nicole 1 ; Ruff, Analisa 1
SB: Killebrew, Madi 1 ; Sylvestri, Marina 1 ; Amodio, Nicole 1
CS: Huerta-Leipner, AJ 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
rf/dp
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
3
Players Mentioned
IF/OF
/ Softball
C/OF
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballP/UT
/ Softball
P
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C
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/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
P
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IF
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IF/UT
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