Lehigh softball drops non-conference game to Rutgers 20-5

The Rutgers softball team smashed six home runs en route to a 20-5 victory over Lehigh by the run rule in a non-conference game on Tuesday afternoon at Leadership Park.

The Scarlet Knights (19-21, 3-12 Big Ten) bats popped in the top of the first inning, connecting on three home runs over the left field wall. 

In the first at-bat of the game, junior infielder Sam Rohwer hit a solo shot to give Rutgers an immediate 1-0 lead. Following a walk, redshirt-sophomore designated player Stephanie Kraska homered to extend the lead to three. In the ensuing at-bat, sophomore third baseman Addie Osborne hit a solo homerun of her own. 

At the end of the top of the first inning, the Scarlet Knights already held a 4-0 lead.

“We had two days off in a row and certainly played like we had not practiced or touched a ball for a couple of days,” Lehigh coach Fran Troyan said.

Rutgers batters combined for 17 hits, eight of them for extra bases.

Lehigh (20-18, 3-6 Patriot) was led by first-year catcher Lola Fasano who drove in two runs on two hits. Junior third baseman Holly Lovett also drove in a pair on her first home run of the season.

After a scoreless second inning, both teams generated offense in the third inning.

In the top of the third, Rutgers centerfielder Rachel Millan hit an RBI single up the middle, while Osborne scored to extend the Scarlet Knights lead to five. During the next at-bat, Millan took off for second base but was caught in a rundown. Before being tagged out, she stalled long enough to allow Osborne to reach home, which made it a 6-0 game. 

In the bottom of the frame, Lehigh built momentum after Lovett hit a rocket over the centerfield wall, cutting the deficit to four runs.

Following a pitching change, Fasano hit an RBI single up the middle, cutting the Scarlet Knights’ lead to two.

“I was just looking for a ball that I could grip and rip,” she said.

At the start of the fourth inning, Lehigh handed the ball to sophomore pitcher Madison Finnerty, who took control with a 1-2-3 inning. Despite the shutout inning, Lehigh failed to capitalize on that momentum in the bottom of the frame, having led off the inning with a walk before lining into a double play.

In the fifth, the Scarlet Knights began to pull away.

Senior left fielder Mia Mitchell hit a two-run triple to centerfield. Millan then singled to left-center, scoring sophomore outfielder Jayla Fuller, making it a 9-4 ballgame. She later scored on a passed ball, extending the Scarlet Knights’ lead to six.

The Mountain Hawks responded with aggressive baserunning on an unusual play. With two strikes, batter Abbey Tabaka took a partial swing on what Rutgers players — and the crowd — thought was a dropped third strike. Rutgers catcher Charleigh Schuettler threw to first in an attempt to complete the putout. In the meantime, however, Lehigh senior infielder Crysta Duenas darted home to score. The umpires ruled Tabaka didn’t swing and Duenas was awarded a steal of home.

After minutes of appeals and the Rutgers coaching staff spilling onto the field, the Mountain Hawks had cut the deficit to five.

But soon after, the Scarlet Knights — led by three sophomore players — put up a crooked number in the top of the sixth inning, scoring 10 runs to break the game open.

Sophomore Kelsey Hoekstra blasted a pinch-hit grand slam to right center. Then sophomore Dezaria Johnson golfed a low ball over the fence for a two-run home run. Sophomore infielder Riley Hwang then lined an RBI double into the left field gap.

Finally, first-year infielder Eva Garofalo smashed a three-run home run to right field to give the Scarlet Knights a 20-5 advantage.

Lehigh did not score in the bottom of the sixth inning, resulting in a run-rule loss.

The Mountain Hawks will play DeSales University on Wednesday.

“We’re gonna dig deep, we’re gonna get gritty and we’re gonna figure out how to win going forward, and that’s it,” Lovett said.