The Lehigh softball team won both games in its doubleheader against the Boston University Terriers after the games were submitted to the “8-run rule.”
Both games resulted in victories of at least eight runs, which is a rule taken into effect if a team is up by eight or more runs after the first five innings of play. The Mountain Hawks won the two games 9-1 and 11-1.
“Any time you win two games by the ‘8-run rule’ it gives you confidence,” coach Fran Troyan said.
Lehigh started off the first game when junior infielder/outfielder Jess Calvini hit a grand slam at the bottom of the first inning to take a 4-0 lead. This momentum slowed into the second inning where Lehigh was able to hold off any chance of a Terrier score, while at the same time racking up another run for themselves in the bottom of the inning.
Boston’s first and only run in the first game came late in the top of the third, and they weren’t able to capitalize at all on the small momentum, getting shut out for the rest of the first game. The remaining four runs from Lehigh all came in the sixth inning to end the first game an inning early.
“We’re really impressed with Boston,” Calvini said. “We know they’re a really good team, but our coaches did a really good job in preparing us and keeping us to have a good mindset. But we know the next time we face them, it could be anybody’s game. It’s always a different day but it was really nice to come out and set the tone early.”
In the second game, the Mountain Hawks made quick work of the Terriers. Lehigh scored all 11 of its runs in the first inning, which lasted for over an hour. During this time, there was cheering from the dugout that was a near constant roar of congratulations. The inning came to an end when Mountain Hawks’ senior infielder/outfielder Emma Capetz hit a ball to right field and was thrown out.
The Terriers didn’t earn their one run until midway through the fourth inning, where Terriers’ outfiieder Mandy Fernandez was batted in by the second baseman Emily Felbaum.
“We were pretty pumped about winning the first game, but we knew BU was going to come back strong,” Lattazio said. “We knew we had to keep the same stamina we had from the first game. [The second game’s first inning] was a complete team effort. One hit after another really riles you up.”
Lattazio continued to say that after the early season adversity, she is completely confident in her team’s ability to win. Troyan stressed the importance of the cohesiveness of the team.
“We’ve really spent a lot of time on team building, where we figure out what exactly our goals are and figure out a game plan on how to achieve those,” Troyan said. “I think they work incredibly well together as a team.”
Troyan also mentioned the importance of the team getting back on its own field, especially for the rest of the season.
“What we really need to do is practice,” Troyan said. “We haven’t had an opportunity to practice on our field. We need to come back and have a good practice tomorrow and Friday to get ready for a strong Bucknell opponent.”
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