Saturday, March 5
Rock Hill, S.C.
11:00:00 AM
Lehigh University
5-3
5
vs
4
Albany
2-5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Lehigh
0
0
1
0
0
0
4
5
9
1
Albany
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
4
7
2
Lehigh bounces back with two wins Saturday at Winthrop Invitational
3/5/2016 8:04:00 PM | Softball
ROCK HILL, S.C. – After two tough losses on Friday the Lehigh softball team needed a bounce-back effort on day two of the Winthrop Invitational and despite dicey moments in the seventh innings of both games, the Mountain Hawks came away with two victories on Saturday. Lehigh opened the day with a 5-4 win over Albany at Terry Field and then defeated Charlotte by an 8-5 score in its second game.
Seniors Alexis Watanabe and Morgan Decker both picked up three more hits on the day. Decker belted a three run home run in the sixth inning of game two against Charlotte, her second in as many days and the 25th of her career, which ties her with Liz Lucas '13 for Lehigh's career home run record. The two victories increase Lehigh's season record to 6-3.
Game one against Albany was relatively calm through six innings, with Lehigh leading 1-0 behind a third inning RBI single from senior Carissa Zito that scored Watanabe after a one-out bunt single and stolen base. Freshman Emily Sorem kept the Great Danes off the scoreboard through six innings, working out of jams in both the fourth and fifth innings.
Lehigh appeared to break the game open with four runs in the top of the seventh. Junior Ashley Cole led off with a single and after a sacrifice, sophomore Katie Schultz brought her home with a double to center. After Watanabe reached on an error, Decker singled to right, scoring Schultz to increase Lehigh's lead to 3-0. Two batters later, senior MacKenzie Velasquez brought home two more runs with a RBI single to right.
Albany (2-5) refused to go quietly, creeping within 5-3 after back-to-back doubles and a two-run home run by Elizabeth Snow. Mackenzie Cleary reached on an error, bringing the tying run to the plate. Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan countered with junior Christine Campbell in relief. Campbell got the second out on a ground ball to shortstop. Donna Conrad then delivered a RBI single to left field to bring the Great Danes within one, but was caught off first base and tagged out by Watanabe to end the game.
Sorem finished with a line of four runs (three earned) on six hits in 6.1 innings as she earned her second win of the season. The freshman right-hander struck out three but walked four and hit two batters.
Lehigh out-hit Albany 9-7 with Decker recording the lone multi-hit game for the Mountain Hawks.
In game two on Saturday, the Mountain Hawks took on a Charlotte team that was coming off a 5-3 upset win over No. 18/16 Kentucky.
Lehigh raced to an early 2-0 lead as Decker drew a two-out walk and junior Vicky Lattanzio followed with a two-run home run to right, her first of the season.
The 49ers (13-4) got a run back in the bottom of the second on Courtney Carroll's RBI double, but Lehigh created some cushion with three runs in the fourth. Senior Jessica Calvini drew a one-out walk and came around to score when Schultz tripled to right. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases and a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Watanabe put the Mountain Hawks up 4-1. Walks to Decker and then Lattanzio forced in another run and chased Charlotte starter Haley Wiseman from the game. Charlotte got a run back in the bottom of the fourth to cut Lehigh's lead to 5-2.
In the sixth, freshman Ashley Quidolit drew a leadoff walk and moved into scoring position following a Watanabe single. Decker then tied Lehigh's career record with her third home run of the season, a three-run shot to center.
Carroll's second RBI hit of the game left Lehigh ahead 8-3 after six, but the bottom of the seventh again provided troublesome for the Mountain Hawks. A Haley Pace RBI single cut Lehigh's lead to 8-4 and with two outs, Meredith Harris' second RBI hit of the game brought the 49ers within three. With the tying runs on board and the potential winning run at the plate, Campbell got Carroll to ground out to shortstop to end the threat and give Lehigh its second win of the day.
Campbell improved to 4-1 on the season after allowing five runs on eight hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Like Sorem earlier, she also hit two batters. Wiseman took the loss for Charlotte. She was hurt by nine walks in 3.2 innings of work.
Lehigh finished with nine hits, including two from Watanabe. Decker and Lattanzio combined to go 2-for-3 with two home runs, five walks, a hit-by-pitch, six RBIs and three runs scored in the game against Charlotte.
The Mountain Hawks will close out action at the Winthrop Invitational when they battle Albany Sunday at 10 a.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Sorem, Emily (2-2)
L: Verdolivo,Celeste (0-1)
S: Campbell, Christine (1)
Batting:
2B: Schultz, Katie 1 ; Decker, Morgan 1
RBI: Schultz, Katie 1 ; Decker, Morgan 1 ; Zito, Carissa 1 ; Velasquez, MacKenzie 2
SH: Timberman, Rachel 1 ; Stoll, Jennifer 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Schultz, Katie 1 ; Watanabe, Alexis 2 ; Phillips, Lindsay 1 ; Cole, Ashley 1
SB: Watanabe, Alexis 1 ; Phillips, Lindsay 1
Batting:
2B: Bump,McKenzie 1 ; Costello,Kelly 1 ; Cocks,Maggie 1 ; Snow,Elizabeth 1
HR: Snow,Elizabeth 1
RBI: Cocks,Maggie 1 ; Snow,Elizabeth 2 ; Conrad,Donna 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Costello,Kelly 1 ; Cocks,Maggie 1 ; Snow,Elizabeth 1 ; Cleary,Mackenzie 1
HBP: Henige,Chelsea 1 ; Petzold,Sarah 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
cf/lf
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
IF/OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballC
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