May 11, 2008
2008 Patriot League Softball Championship Page
Bethlehem, Pa. - Lehigh won the Patriot League Softball Championship for the ninth time in program history and for the fourth time in the last five years with a 10-3 victory as the top seed over second-seeded Lafayette. The Leopards forced a second game on Sunday at Kaufman Field with a 2-1 win against the Mountain Hawks. With the championship win Lehigh received the Patriot League's automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
Lafayette (27-24, 13-7 PL) won the first game of the day, 2-1, with Ali Henry pitching a complete game and not giving up a single earned run. Lehigh's lone run of the game came from Taryn Hanley who crossed the plate on a throwing error in the top of the fourth inning.
The Leopards quickly came back in the bottom of the fourth with two runs as Kerry Griffin doubled to leftfield to score Kasey Karr and Christina Giambrone.
Lisa Sweeney was in the circle for Lehigh and allowed just three hits over six innings of work. She fanned seven batters.
Lehigh (38-15-1, 14-6 PL) turned it around in the championship contest and exploded for 10 runs. After Lafayette scored a run in the top of the first off a Kristen Ruckno sacrifice fly, Lehigh put up three runs in the bottom of the frame. Alisha Gonzales, Alex Cueva and Carly Potock all scored unearned runs due to an error by Lafayette.
Lafayette tied it up in the very next inning, 3-3. Stacey Kushner singled to centerfield, which allowed Sara Price and Kristin Garganio to score.
Over the next two innings, Lehigh scored five unanswered runs with two in the bottom if the second and three in the third. Cueva singled to right field to provide two RBI in the second and drove in another run in the third off a double. Kate Marvel and Potock each had a RBI single in the third.
Lehigh made it 10-3 in the bottom of the sixth by tacking on two more runs. Megan Conrad had a sacrifice fly to score Hanley and Marvel doubled to drive in pinch runner Mickey LaValley.
Sweeney improved to 3-1 in the Patriot League Tournament to garner MVP honors, pitching all 25 of Lehigh's innings. In the championship win, Sweeney only gave up one earned run and posted eight strikeouts. For the tournament, she had 37 strikeouts which is a Patriot League Tournament record. This MVP honor is the second in Sweeney's career, having also won it in 2006. She is just the second softball player in League history to be named MVP twice. Lehigh's Meri Wall shared the honors in 1993 and won them outright in 1994.
Potock went 4-for-5 in the 10-3 victory with one RBI and two runs. Cueva posted a team-high three RBI and scored one run, while Lowe batted in two. Marvel had a 3-for-5 day with a pair of RBI and a pair of runs.
For Lafayette, Kushner had two RBI and Ruckno had the other. Karr was saddled with the loss, lasting just 1.1 innings. Henry took over in the circle for Karr.
The 2008 NCAA Division I softball selection show will be aired later tonight at 10 p.m. ET after the conclusion of the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse First Round Game #8 on ESPNU (scheduled for 7:30-10 p.m. ET).
Results and box scores for this weekend's competition can be found on the Patriot League web site on the main page as well as on the Softball Championship Page which can be accessed by clicking here.
2008 Patriot League Tournament MVP
Lisa Sweeney, Lehigh
2008 Patriot League All-Tournament Team
Veronica Barth, Army
Mary Ann Kearney, Army
Erin Curatola, Bucknell
Christie Wiest, Bucknell
Christina Giambrone, Lafayette
Kerry Griffin, Lafayette
Ali Henry, Lafayette
Alisha Gonzales, Lehigh
Whitney Lowe, Lehigh
Carly Potock, Lehigh
Lisa Sweeney, Lehigh
2008 Patriot League Softball Tournament Results
Thursday, May 8
Game 1: No. 1 Lehigh 8, vs. No. 4 Army 0 (5 inn.)
Game 2: No. 3 Bucknell 1, vs. No. 2 Lafayette 0 (10 inn.)
Saturday, May 10
Game 3: Lehigh 9, vs. Bucknell 5
Game 4: Lafayette 5, Army 3
Game 5: Lafayette 6, Bucknell 4 (8 inn.)
Sunday, May 11
Game 6: Lafayette 2, Lehigh 1
Game 7: Lehigh 10, Lafayette 3
