April 13, 2009

Center Valley, Pa.--Lehigh and Colgate picked up four-game Patriot League sweeps over the weekend. It was the second straight four-game sweep for each team. Lehigh has now won 12 consecutive games, while Colgate has claimed eight straight victories. Another sweep by each team this weekend would secure a spot for both squads in the Patriot League Tournament.

Patriot League Softball Release 4.13.09

Patriot League Player of the Week (Apr. 7-13)

Tyana Tyeskey, Colgate Sr., 2B, Granite Bay, Calif. Tyesky batted .455 with three home runs and 10 RBI in the Raiders' four-game sweep over Bucknell. She also scored six runs and finished with a 1.273 slugging percentage during the weekend series. She pushed Colgate to a 14-13 victory in Saturday's second game with a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. She finished the game with two home runs and seven RBI. She recorded in every game but the weekend finale, when she was walked in all four plate appearances.

Patriot League Pitcher of the Week (Apr. 7-13)

Lisa Sweeney, Lehigh Sr., P, Lumberton, N.J. Sweeney pitched in five of Lehigh's six wins last week, earning four wins and one save. She surrendered just two runs while scattering 18 hits in 26 innings of work. She struck out 36 batters while walking just six. Sweeney notched back-to-back games with at least 10 strikeouts, doing so against Marist and Lafayette. She recorded shutouts in both of her weekend starts against Lafayette. She has now won eight straight decisions, lowering her ERA to 2.66. At the plate, Sweeney batted .525 with three RBI.

Patriot League Rookie of the Week (Apr. 7-13)

Jennifer Ortega, Colgate Fr., SS, Aberdeen, N.J. Ortega batted .385 with a home run and six RBI in Colgate's four-game sweep over Bucknell. She also scored six times while batting from the leadoff position. In the series finale, Ortega went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a home run and four RBI. She has now hit safely in 22 of Colgate's 29 games.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Angela Deger, Army So., C/3B, Akron, Ohio Batted .417 while helping Army go 3-1 last week. Had a hit in all four games. Drove in three runs while also going 3-for-3 in stolen bases.

Jessie Snyder, Bucknell So., SS/2B, Tacoma, Wash. Was 7-for-14 with three home runs, a triple and seven RBI in five games last week. Drove in three runs in the Bison's 6-3 win against St. Francis (Pa.).

Jesse McCarrick, Colgate Jr., P, Oak Hill, Va. Went 2-0 with one save in three appearances against Bucknell. Recorded her first shutout of the season in the series opener, then came on to pitch the seventh inning in Colgate's 14-13 win in the second game. Had a 1.87 ERA on the weekend. Struck out 15 batters while walking two.

Tiffany Medwid, Holy Cross So., SS, Imperial, Pa. Hit .500 in Sunday doubleheader against Army. Notched a triple and a home run against the Black Knights. Drove in two runs and stole one base.

Stacey Kushner, Lafayette Jr., C, Warren, Ohio Batted .429 in five games last week. Recorded a season-high three hits against Saint Joseph's. Notched eight putouts in two separate games, finishing one shy of a career high.

Patriot League Notebook

Week In Review Lehigh maintained its position at the top of the Patriot League standings with a four-game sweep against rival Lafayette. Colgate remained in second place with a four-game sweep over Bucknell. Army moved into third place by taking three out of four against Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

On Deck Lehigh and Colgate enter the weekend with a chance to secure berths in the Patriot League Tournament. With two wins, the Mountain Hawks would assure themselves a spot in the tournament. Colgate can clinch its place in the tournament with three victories. Lehigh will travel to Bucknell while Colgate will head to West Point to meet Army. Also on the weekend schedule is a four-game set between Holy Cross and Lafayette in Easton.

Race For Homefield Lehigh and Colgate are currently the front-runners for the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament. Lehigh could clinch the top seed and homefield advantage this weekend. To do so, the Mountain Hawks need to win two more games than Colgate over the weekend. Lehigh defeated Colgate three out of four times earlier this season and holds the tiebreaker over the Raiders. For Colgate to claim the top seed, the Raiders will need to win at least three more games than Lehigh over the final two weekends.

Upward Swing Lehigh and Colgate find themselves on the upper end of the Patriot League standings thanks in large part to recent winning streaks. The Mountain Hawks have won 12 straight games, including 10 consecutive Patriot League contests. Colgate's last loss was an 11-7 loss to Lehigh. Since then, the Raiders have won eight straight.

S-W-E-E-N-E-Y Spells Relief With 86 career pitching wins, Lehigh senior Lisa Sweeney is the most successful starting pitcher in Patriot League history. Her success as a reliever is moving her up the Patriot League charts, as well. Sweeney notched a save in the Mountain Hawks' 5-1 win over Lafayette on Saturday, giving her eight career saves and moving her into second place on League's all-time lists.

Noticing No-Hitters Two Patriot League pitchers have tossed no-hitters this season. The most recent no-hitter came from the arm of Lafayette junior Kasey Karr on March 27. Karr allowed just three base-runners in a five-inning no-hitter in the Leopards' 8-0 win against Army. It was the first no-hitter tossed by a Lafayette player since the Leopards joined the Patriot League. On March 3, Lehigh junior Tiffany Curtis threw the first Patriot League no-hitter since 2007. Curtis threw the first perfect game of her career in the Mountain Hawks' 1-0 win against St. Bonaventure.

2009 Patriot League Championship The 2009 Patriot League Softball Championship will take place Thursday-Saturday, May 7-9 at the site of the highest seed. The top four teams in the regular-season standings will advance to the Patriot League tournament. The winner of the championship will represent the Patriot League in the NCAA Tournament as its automatic qualifier. Lehigh is the defending Patriot League Champion.

Team Notebooks

Army The Black Knights moved into third place in the Patriot League standings by taking three of four against Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. Of Army's 16 wins, 14 have come away from West Point. Angela Deger had RBIs in four of the Black Knights' six games last week. Army will attempt to maintain its momentum with a four-game home series against Colgate. It will be the Black Knights' first home Patriot League series this season.

Bucknell Bucknell was swept by Colgate in the teams' four-game Patriot League series in Hamilton, N.Y. The Bison entered the weekend having split all four of their previous Patriot League doubleheaders. Over the weekend, Ashley Beans and Ashley Carlson moved into the top two spots for career games played at Buckinell. Beans has played in 186 games, while Carlson has competed in 184. Bucknell will host Patriot League-leading Lehigh this weekend.

Colgate The Raiders swept their four-game weekend series against Bucknell, keeping Colgate just two games back of Patriot League-leading Lehigh. The Raiders hit seven home runs during the series, including three by Tiana Tyesky. Also recording multiple home runs was Erin Gomez, who belted a pair of round-trippers. Colgate batted .398 during the four-game set with the Bison. The Raiders have won eight straight games. They will attempt to break the school record for consecutive victories on Wednesday in a non-League doubleheader against Siena. Colgate will try to wrap up a spot in the Patriot League Tournament this weekend. The Raiders will travel to Army needing to win three games to guarantee themselves a tournament berth.

Holy Cross The Crusaders dropped the first three games of their four-game home series against Army, but rebounded to take the final game and snap a nine-game losing streak. Three Holy Cross pitchers combined to hold Army to five hits and one earned run in the Crusaders' 4-3 victory. Holy Cross, which has not played a road game in Patriot League competition this season, will hit the road for a weekend series at Lafayette.

Lafayette The Leopards dropped all four games during their weekend series against rival Lehigh. Lafayette has now lost five straight Patriot League games and six straight overall. Freshman second-baseman Gwen Turner tripled three times in four games last week. She is one triple short of moving into 10th place on the school's single-season list. The Leopards have only been home for four of their 28 games this season, but they will return home for a Patriot League series against Holy Cross this weekend.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks remain on top of the Patriot League standings after notching their second consecutive four-game sweep. Lehigh claimed four straight wins over rival Lafayette, giving the Mountain Hawks 12 straight victories. The Mountain Hawks also picked up a doubleheader sweep against non-League foe Marist. Senior Lisa Sweeney notched 10 hits in six games last week. She also recorded four wins and one save while surpassing 850 career strikeouts. Freshman Julie Fernandez hit safely in all six games, including five two-hit games. Lehigh will travel to Bucknell this weekend needing to win two games to secure a spot in the Patriot League Tournament.