Mountain Hawks drop pair on second day of Citrus Blossom

Saturday, February 15

Kissimmee, Fla.

12:00 PM

Lehigh University

2-1

Charleston Southern

1-2

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Charleston Southern	0	0	1	4	0	0	0	5	4	1
Lehigh	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Lehigh	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	7	1
Appalachian State	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	7	0

Mountain Hawks drop pair on second day of Citrus Blossom

2/15/2020 8:27:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – After winning a pair of one-run games on opening day Friday, the Lehigh softball team dropped a pair of contests Saturday on the second day at the Citrus Blossom tournament. The Mountain Hawks were blanked 5-0 by Charleston Southern in their first game of the day, then fell 2-1 to Appalachian State in eight innings in game two.

Lehigh (2-2) will play Saint Joseph's Sunday at 9 a.m. in the final game of the Citrus Blossom, with a victory giving the Mountain Hawks a winning first weekend of the year.

In Saturday's first game, Charleston Southern (1-2) scored a run in the third inning off junior Lainey Stephenson and built some cushion with four runs in the fourth.

The Mountain Hawks were held hitless through the first four innings, but put together rallies in the fifth and sixth frames, but were unable to cut into the deficit.

The Buccaneers took the lead on a two-out RBI single by Sarah Brown in the third. The four-run fourth featured a run scoring wild pitch and a fielder's choice, followed by a Katelyn Norris two-run double.

Sophomore Karsen O'Rourke delivered Lehigh's first hit with a single to left with one out in the fifth. A single by junior Allyson Dibsie and a CSU error put runners on second and third with one out, but Annah Junge escaped further trouble with a strikeout and a ground out.

Singles by freshman Emily Cimino and senior Reva Alderman and a walk to sophomore Addie Kittel loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth, but Holly Clark came on to work out of the jam unscathed after a pair of force outs at home plate and a strikeout.

Stephenson allowed five runs on four hits for Lehigh with five walks and four strikeouts. Both teams finished with four hits, but Lehigh stranded eight runners on base.

In game two against Appalachian State, the Mountaineers got a two-out RBI single from Gabby Buruato to take a 1-0 lead after two innings. Appalachian State recorded five singles over the first four innings, but senior Parker Boyd kept the game at 1-0.

Lehigh pulled even in the fifth inning with four singles. Sophomore Carley Barjaktarovich led off the frame with a bunt single and O'Rourke followed with a single moving Barjaktarovich to second. Two batters later, senior Mary-Hannah Smith singled to left center, bringing Barjaktarovich home with the tying run. A Cimino single loaded the bases with one out but Taylor Nichols came out of the bullpen to get the Mountaineers out of the jam.

Boyd allowed doubles in the sixth and seventh innings, but worked around them to send the game into extra innings tied at 1-1. With the international tiebreaker rule in effect, Smith was placed on second base to begin the top of the eighth. Cimino sacrificed her to third, but Smith was stranded there.

In the bottom of the frame, Kaylie Kifer was sacrificed to third. Baylee Morton hit a comebacker to the circle, but a throwing error by Boyd allowed Kifer to score the winning run for Appalachian State (5-2).

Both teams finished the game with seven hits. Smith and Cimino led the Mountain Hawks with two apiece. Boyd allowed one earned run on seven hits in 7.1 innings with a walk and four strikeouts.

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