Softball in league driver's seat

The Lehigh softball team swept Army on Sunday to take three of four games from the Black Knights and moved into first place in the Patriot League standings. The Mountain Hawks grabbed game one 6-1 and forced the mercy rule in game two winning 10-1 in six innings. The Mountain Hawks now 9-3 in the league are tied with Army for first but hold the tiebreaker advantage having won the series against the Black Knights. Lehigh is 22-11 overall while Army is 21-12-1.
Returning Patriot League Pitcher of the Year Stephanie Howell pitched a gem in game one allowing just one run while scattering seven hits to improve to 4-1 on the season. Howell struck out seven batters and walked just two in her first league win of the season. Jenny Bender and Carrie Yeakel each went 1-for-4 with a pair of RBIs to lead Lehigh’s offensive attack. Jessica Young was the only Lehigh player with multiple hits going 2-for-4 in the win.
Lehigh pounded out eleven hits to score 10 runs in six innings and end the fourth game of the series an inning early by way of the mercy rule. The Mountain Hawks scored five runs and added three more in the third to lead 8-0 before allowing a run in the fourth. Yeakel went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored while Bender knocked in two with a 1-for-4 performance. Stephanie Digneo and Shana Treon each recorded two hits.
Freshman Emily Ling picked up her second win of the series going the distance allowing only one unearned run. She scattered six hits and struck out seven to improve to 8-3 overall. Ling helped her own cause offensively with a single in the third that knocked in two runs.
Lehigh returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts Pennsylvania at Kaufman Field. The doubleheader is a makeup from earlier in the season. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 3:00.