Lehigh Opens Red and Black Classic With Two Wins Friday

Friday, February 13

Boiling Springs, N.C.

10:00 AM

Lehigh University

4-2

Tennessee Tech

0-5

Tennessee Tech

Lehigh

Photo by: Jordan Adderley

Lehigh Opens Red and Black Classic With Two Wins Friday

2/13/2026 9:46:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Lehigh opened Gardner-Webb's Red and Black Classic with two high-scoring wins Friday at Brinkley Softball Stadium. The Mountain Hawks opened the day with an 11-0, five-inning win over Tennessee Tech and then built a 10-2 lead before holding off host Gardner-Webb 11-10 in game two of the day.

Junior Peyton Sward and first-year Kyra Neiswender paced the offense Friday with both players driving in six runs across the two games, including four against the Runnin' Bulldogs.

The wins improve Lehigh's record to 5-2.

Lehigh scored 11 runs on 10 hits against Tennessee Tech. Sward and seniors Abbey Tabaka and Sydney Parlett all had two hits, with Sward, Parlett, Neiswender and sophomore Kelly Fricker all driving in two runs.

Neiswender singled home Sward in the bottom of the first and then Parlett drove in two with a double.

The Mountain Hawks added four in the second on RBI singles by Sward and Tabaka and sacrifice flies by Neiswender and sophomore Lizzie Kern.

Lehigh added three runs in the third on a two-run single by Fricker and a ground out by Sward, and one more in the fourth on a sacrifice fly off the bat of senior Crysta Duenas.

In the circle, sophomore Madison Finnerty and junior Maddy Clark combined on a two-hitter with Finnerty going the first four innings and Clark throwing the fifth. Finnerty struck out three and Clark fanned one.

Game two saw Lehigh fall behind 2-0 after one inning before scoring 10 unanswered runs to take the lead.

A two-run single by Neiswender tied the game in the third and Lehigh went in front behind a five-run fifth inning. Sward gave Lehigh the lead with a two-run triple, Neiswender singled home Sward, and then Kern hit Lehigh's first home run of the season, a two-run shot to center field, to put the Mountain Hawks up 7-2.

Sward doubled home two more runs in the sixth and scored on a Neiswender single to put Lehigh up 10-2, but Gardner-Webb clawed back, scoring six runs in the sixth to get within 10-8.

Fricker delivered an RBI single in the seventh and the Runnin' Bulldogs plated two more runs in the bottom of the inning. With the tying and winning runs on base, first-year Addison Moorman re-entered the game in the circle and recorded the final out.

Sward and Neiswender both had three hits and four RBIs, with Sward also scoring three runs. First-year Lola Fasano also had three hits for the Mountain Hawks.

Moorman allowed eight runs (five earned) on seven hits over 5.2 innings with three walks and three strikeouts. Senior Chloe Hess allowed two runs on four hits in an inning of work before Moorman got the final out.

The Mountain Hawks will continue action at the Red and Black Classic on Saturday with games against Queens University (12:30 p.m.) and Gardner-Webb (5:30 p.m.).

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