BOSTON – After honoring seven seniors, the Boston University softball team jumped out to an early lead but was unable to hang on in a 5-2 loss to Lehigh on Sunday afternoon.
Having already clinched hosting rights and the top seed for the upcoming Patriot League tournament (May 12-14), the Terriers finish the regular season at 38-15 and 16-2 in conference play, while the Mountain Hawks improve to 26-17-1 (15-3 PL).
Sophomore
Kayla Roncin led BU with a pair of RBI hits, while both sophomore
Lauren Keleher and senior
Emily Gant also collected two hits apiece. Junior
Lizzy Avery (18-10) pitched 4.1 scoreless innings before giving up a two-RBI single in the fifth and a three-run homer in the seventh for the loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After Avery started off with a pair of strikeouts, Keleher led off the game with a double to right.
- Keleher took third on junior Caitlin Coker's sac bunt and then scored on Roncin's RBI single through the right side.
- Gant kept the pressure on with a one-out single, but Katelyn Young (15-6) got out of the jam with a pop up and ground out.
- The Mountain Hawks threatened in the top of the second with a pair of singles and walk before senior Aliyah Huerta-Leipner collected a tough hopper and touched second for the final out.
- The Terriers stranded two on base again in the fourth before Lehigh took the lead for good the following inning.
- After collecting a pair of infield singles, Lehigh advanced both runners on a fly out and error before Jaelynn Chesson hit a two-RBI single for the 2-1 lead.
- BU threatened again in the fifth with a lead-off single and sac bunt before popping up twice to strand two runners on base again.
- The Mountain Hawks earned a lead-off walk in the seventh and added a single before Chesson launched a pitch toward left for a one-out, three-run homer.
- Trying to mount a rally, Keleher doubled to left and scored on Roncin's two-out RBI double, but Lehigh sealed the win with a line out to right.
GAME NOTES
- Roncin moved up to No. 2 in the program season record book and tied-for-fourth in the PL at 78 hits.
- BU's 81 doubles are the fourth most ever in a season and most since the Terriers set the program record with 88 in 2014.
- Dropping the last two games after clinching the regular season title with a 4-0 win over the Mountain Hawks, the Terriers lost their first PL weekend series since being swept at Lehigh back in 2017.
- BU is now 20-14 all-time against Lehigh.
UP NEXT
- WIth a 14-2 home record, top-seeded BU will host No. 4 Colgate in the PL tournament on Thursday (May 12) at 12 p.m.
- No. 2 Lehigh will follow at 2:30 p.m. against No. 3 Army West Point.
- The Terriers have won the last three tournament titles (2018, 19, 21) after prevailing in both 2014 and 2016.