Friday, February 7
Los Angeles, Calif.
4:30 PM ET
Lehigh University
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Nevada
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Nevada
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Lehigh
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Lehigh Beats LMU 5-4 To Split Opening Day In Los Angeles
2/8/2025 12:58:00 AM | Softball
LOS ANGELES – The Lehigh softball team split two games Friday on the opening day of the 2025 season at Loyola Marymount's Smith Field. The Mountain Hawks bounced back from a 14-4, five-inning loss to Nevada in their first game of the day to knock off host Loyola Marymount 5-4 in the nightcap.
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Sophomore Gracie Smith totaled three hits to lead the offense, while classmate Holly Lovett had two key RBIs in the victory over the Lions. First-year pitcher Madison Finnerty contributed a solid, complete-game effort to win her collegiate debut.
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Loyola Marymount (1-2) opened the scoring in game two on an RBI single by Izzy Jamgotchian but Finnerty's first career strikeout helped strand the bases loaded in the first inning.
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Lehigh scored two runs in the fourth to take a 2-1 lead. Smith was hit by a pitch leading off the frame and then moved to third when junior Sydney Parlett reached on an error. Lovett plated Smith with a sacrifice fly to right to tie the game at 1-1 and then senior Julia Mrochko singled up the middle scoring pinch runner Lizzie Kern.
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The Mountain Hawks added a run in the fifth when sophomore Peyton Sward walked and then came around to score on a RBI double by first-year Kelly Fricker.
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The Lions capitalized on three Lehigh errors in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 3-3.
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Lehigh went back in front in the sixth as Parlett reached on an error leading off the frame and then came around to score on a double to right center by Lovett. The Mountain Hawks added another run on an infield single by Sward that scored junior Crysta Duenas.
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Jasmine Sofowora led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run to straightaway center to bring LMU within a run, but Finnerty retired the next three batters in order to close out Lehigh's first win of the season.
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Finnerty allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits over seven innings of work. She walked two and struck out three.
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Lehigh finished with eight hits, with Smith and Lovett leading the way with two. Both teams made three errors Friday night.
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In Lehigh's first game of the day, the Mountain Hawks started fast, but were ultimately done in by two big innings. First-year Helen Woloshyn led off the home first with a bunt single and stole second. She came around to score when Sward reached on an error on a sacrifice attempt. Two batters later, senior Rory Dudley homered to left center, giving Lehigh a 3-0 lead after one inning.
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Nevada (2-0) answered with a four-run second inning, capped by a two-run Haley Painter double, to take a 4-3 lead, only to see Sward and Duenas execute a double steal in the bottom of the frame with Duenas stealing home to tie the game at 4-4.
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Lehigh loaded the bases with one out in the third but was unable to push the go-ahead run across. Nevada then took control of the game with a 10-run fourth inning. Bailie Clark's two-run triple gave the Wolfpack the lead for good. Painter and Hannah Di Genova homered in the frame and Madison Clark capped the inning with a three-run triple.
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Painter and Lexi O'Gorman both had three hits to lead Nevada, while Madison Clark led the way with five RBIs.
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Lehigh had five hits from five different players.
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Junior Chloe Hess started in the circle and allowed seven runs on eight hits in three-plus innings, while sophomore Maddy Clark allowed seven over the final two innings. Clark had Lehigh's lone pitching strikeout against the Wolfpack.
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The Mountain Hawks are back in action on Saturday when they head to Irvine, Calif., for the Mark Campbell Invitational. Lehigh will face California Baptist at 4 p.m. ET and No. 5/6 UCLA at 9:30 p.m. ET.
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Follow Lehigh Softball on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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Sophomore Gracie Smith totaled three hits to lead the offense, while classmate Holly Lovett had two key RBIs in the victory over the Lions. First-year pitcher Madison Finnerty contributed a solid, complete-game effort to win her collegiate debut.
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Loyola Marymount (1-2) opened the scoring in game two on an RBI single by Izzy Jamgotchian but Finnerty's first career strikeout helped strand the bases loaded in the first inning.
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Lehigh scored two runs in the fourth to take a 2-1 lead. Smith was hit by a pitch leading off the frame and then moved to third when junior Sydney Parlett reached on an error. Lovett plated Smith with a sacrifice fly to right to tie the game at 1-1 and then senior Julia Mrochko singled up the middle scoring pinch runner Lizzie Kern.
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The Mountain Hawks added a run in the fifth when sophomore Peyton Sward walked and then came around to score on a RBI double by first-year Kelly Fricker.
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The Lions capitalized on three Lehigh errors in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 3-3.
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Lehigh went back in front in the sixth as Parlett reached on an error leading off the frame and then came around to score on a double to right center by Lovett. The Mountain Hawks added another run on an infield single by Sward that scored junior Crysta Duenas.
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Jasmine Sofowora led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run to straightaway center to bring LMU within a run, but Finnerty retired the next three batters in order to close out Lehigh's first win of the season.
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Finnerty allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits over seven innings of work. She walked two and struck out three.
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Lehigh finished with eight hits, with Smith and Lovett leading the way with two. Both teams made three errors Friday night.
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In Lehigh's first game of the day, the Mountain Hawks started fast, but were ultimately done in by two big innings. First-year Helen Woloshyn led off the home first with a bunt single and stole second. She came around to score when Sward reached on an error on a sacrifice attempt. Two batters later, senior Rory Dudley homered to left center, giving Lehigh a 3-0 lead after one inning.
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Nevada (2-0) answered with a four-run second inning, capped by a two-run Haley Painter double, to take a 4-3 lead, only to see Sward and Duenas execute a double steal in the bottom of the frame with Duenas stealing home to tie the game at 4-4.
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Lehigh loaded the bases with one out in the third but was unable to push the go-ahead run across. Nevada then took control of the game with a 10-run fourth inning. Bailie Clark's two-run triple gave the Wolfpack the lead for good. Painter and Hannah Di Genova homered in the frame and Madison Clark capped the inning with a three-run triple.
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Painter and Lexi O'Gorman both had three hits to lead Nevada, while Madison Clark led the way with five RBIs.
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Lehigh had five hits from five different players.
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Junior Chloe Hess started in the circle and allowed seven runs on eight hits in three-plus innings, while sophomore Maddy Clark allowed seven over the final two innings. Clark had Lehigh's lone pitching strikeout against the Wolfpack.
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The Mountain Hawks are back in action on Saturday when they head to Irvine, Calif., for the Mark Campbell Invitational. Lehigh will face California Baptist at 4 p.m. ET and No. 5/6 UCLA at 9:30 p.m. ET.
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Follow Lehigh Softball on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: McLEAN, Hailey (1-0)
L: Hess, Chloe (0-1)
Batting:
2B: PAINTER, Haley 1 ; JENKINS, Aaliyah 1
3B: CLARK, Madison 1 ; MAYTORENA, Tatum 1 ; CLARK, Bailie 1
HR: PAINTER, Haley 1 ; DI GENOVA, Hannah 1
RBI: CLARK, Madison 5 ; PAINTER, Haley 3 ; JENKINS, Aaliyah 1 ; DI GENOVA, Hannah 2 ; O'GORMAN, Lexi 1 ; CLARK, Bailie 2
SH: LARSEN, Maya 1
Base Running:
RUNS: CLARK, Madison 1 ; PAINTER, Haley 1 ; MAYTORENA, Tatum 1 ; JENKINS, Aaliyah 2 ; DI GENOVA, Hannah 2 ; O'GORMAN, Lexi 3 ; LEETCH, Matlyn 1 ; ALFARO, Saige 1 ; CLARK, Bailie 2
SB: JENKINS, Aaliyah 1
CS: JENKINS, Aaliyah 1
HBP: JENKINS, Aaliyah 1
Batting:
2B: Duenas, Crysta 1
HR: Dudley, Rory 1
RBI: Dudley, Rory 2
SH: Woloshyn, Helen 1 ; Sward, Peyton 1 ; Parlett, Sydney 1 ; Lovett, Holly 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Woloshyn, Helen 1 ; Sward, Peyton 1 ; Dudley, Rory 1 ; Duenas, Crysta 1
SB: Woloshyn, Helen 1 ; Sward, Peyton 1 ; Smith, Gracie 1 ; Duenas, Crysta 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P/IF
/ SoftballC/UT
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballIF/OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
UT
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballLehigh Sports Central: Softball
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