Friday, February 28
Raleigh, N.C.
12:30 PM
Lehigh University
at
NC State
Mountain Hawks head to NC State Invitational for second weekend tournament
2/27/2020 2:38:00 PM | Softball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Lehigh softball team heads to Raleigh, N.C. this weekend to compete in the NC State Invitational. The Mountain Hawks will play five games over three days beginning Friday at Dail Softball Stadium and running through Sunday.
Lehigh will face tournament host NC State (12 p.m.) to open the weekend and will play its first of two games against North Carolina A&T (3 p.m.) on Friday. The Mountain Hawks will play the Aggies again (10 a.m.) and No. 24/25 James Madison (12:30 p.m.) on Saturday before wrapping up the weekend with a second game against the Dukes (10 a.m.) on Sunday.
The Mountain Hawks have posted a winning record (3-2) on the season so far after promising hitting and pitching performances at the Citrus Blossom Tournament. Senior Mary-Hannah Smith went 6-for-17 on the weekend, recording a run and an RBI to lead Lehigh's offensive efforts. Freshman Emily Cimino added six hits, a RBI and Lehigh's first home run of the season.
Senior Parker Boyd and sophomore Gabriella Nori showcased power in the circle, allowing a combined five earned runs while totaling four walks and 30 strikeouts in four games. Boyd recorded a one-hit shutout with seven strikeouts in the season-opener against Georgia Southern, while Nori allowed a solo home run before securing the win with two strikeouts on the final two batters. The duo closed the tournament with 10 strikeouts in the final game, a 4-2 win over Saint Joseph's to establish a winning record coming out of Lehigh's first weekend of play.
NC State has kept busy so far this season, competing in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, the ACC/Big 10 Challenge and the Fairfield Crabtree Invitational as well as games against Elon and Duke. The Wolfpack are 11-5 and are coming off a 5-1 home loss to Duke Wednesday night. Other losses have come against No. 8 Minnesota, No. 15 Kentucky, Mississippi and Illinois. Senior Tatyana Forbes leads the Pack in offense with 12 RBIs, 12 runs and a .547 batting average through 16 games. Three Wolfpack have seen time in the circle, led by sophomore Sydney Nester (6-3, 3.56 ERA in 61 innings).
North Carolina A&T (2-11) has experienced a tough start to its 2020 campaign, as the Aggies have allowed 115 runs over their first 13 games. The Aggies own wins over Rhode Island and Appalachian State. North Carolina A&T lost 12-3 at UNCG on Wednesday following a 1-4 showing at last weekend's Charleston Invitational in South Carolina.
JMU will head into the tournament with a 6-3 overall record, falling to Kansas 12-2 at the Clearwater Elite Invitational and No. 19 Georgia 19-11 and 13-5 in two games played at the Georgia Classic. Senior Kate Gordon has spearheaded the Dukes' offensive efforts in her final campaign, posting a 0.630 batting average, 15 runs and 7 RBIs in 27 at bats. Gordon is the reigning NFCA National Player of the Week after going 16-for-20 at the plate over five games last week. Sophomore Kayla Boseman (2-2, 4.30 ERA in 14.2 innings) leads the circle for the Dukes, collecting an 8-0 shutout over Austin Peay at the Georgia Classic.
Lehigh and NC State have met four times since 2012 with the Wolfpack winning three of the four games. The Mountain Hawks' lone win was a 5-4, extra-inning victory in 2017. The Mountain Hawks beat North Carolina A&T 10-0 during last year's campaign in the first-ever meeting between the schools. Lehigh is 1-4 against the Dukes in a series that dates back to 2004, when Lehigh recorded its first and only win (3-1) of the series.
Following the NC State Invitational, Lehigh will head to Arizona for 11 games over spring break, beginning with five games at the ASU Invitational in Tempe, March 7-9.
Like Lehigh Softball on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Story by Madison Schmitt '20
Lehigh will face tournament host NC State (12 p.m.) to open the weekend and will play its first of two games against North Carolina A&T (3 p.m.) on Friday. The Mountain Hawks will play the Aggies again (10 a.m.) and No. 24/25 James Madison (12:30 p.m.) on Saturday before wrapping up the weekend with a second game against the Dukes (10 a.m.) on Sunday.
The Mountain Hawks have posted a winning record (3-2) on the season so far after promising hitting and pitching performances at the Citrus Blossom Tournament. Senior Mary-Hannah Smith went 6-for-17 on the weekend, recording a run and an RBI to lead Lehigh's offensive efforts. Freshman Emily Cimino added six hits, a RBI and Lehigh's first home run of the season.
Senior Parker Boyd and sophomore Gabriella Nori showcased power in the circle, allowing a combined five earned runs while totaling four walks and 30 strikeouts in four games. Boyd recorded a one-hit shutout with seven strikeouts in the season-opener against Georgia Southern, while Nori allowed a solo home run before securing the win with two strikeouts on the final two batters. The duo closed the tournament with 10 strikeouts in the final game, a 4-2 win over Saint Joseph's to establish a winning record coming out of Lehigh's first weekend of play.
NC State has kept busy so far this season, competing in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, the ACC/Big 10 Challenge and the Fairfield Crabtree Invitational as well as games against Elon and Duke. The Wolfpack are 11-5 and are coming off a 5-1 home loss to Duke Wednesday night. Other losses have come against No. 8 Minnesota, No. 15 Kentucky, Mississippi and Illinois. Senior Tatyana Forbes leads the Pack in offense with 12 RBIs, 12 runs and a .547 batting average through 16 games. Three Wolfpack have seen time in the circle, led by sophomore Sydney Nester (6-3, 3.56 ERA in 61 innings).
North Carolina A&T (2-11) has experienced a tough start to its 2020 campaign, as the Aggies have allowed 115 runs over their first 13 games. The Aggies own wins over Rhode Island and Appalachian State. North Carolina A&T lost 12-3 at UNCG on Wednesday following a 1-4 showing at last weekend's Charleston Invitational in South Carolina.
JMU will head into the tournament with a 6-3 overall record, falling to Kansas 12-2 at the Clearwater Elite Invitational and No. 19 Georgia 19-11 and 13-5 in two games played at the Georgia Classic. Senior Kate Gordon has spearheaded the Dukes' offensive efforts in her final campaign, posting a 0.630 batting average, 15 runs and 7 RBIs in 27 at bats. Gordon is the reigning NFCA National Player of the Week after going 16-for-20 at the plate over five games last week. Sophomore Kayla Boseman (2-2, 4.30 ERA in 14.2 innings) leads the circle for the Dukes, collecting an 8-0 shutout over Austin Peay at the Georgia Classic.
Lehigh and NC State have met four times since 2012 with the Wolfpack winning three of the four games. The Mountain Hawks' lone win was a 5-4, extra-inning victory in 2017. The Mountain Hawks beat North Carolina A&T 10-0 during last year's campaign in the first-ever meeting between the schools. Lehigh is 1-4 against the Dukes in a series that dates back to 2004, when Lehigh recorded its first and only win (3-1) of the series.
Following the NC State Invitational, Lehigh will head to Arizona for 11 games over spring break, beginning with five games at the ASU Invitational in Tempe, March 7-9.
Like Lehigh Softball on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Story by Madison Schmitt '20
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