The Seton Hall softball team went 1-1 in their doubleheader clash with Lehigh, extending their record to 20-22 on the season. Seton Hall took the first game 9-7 while Lehigh recovered from their first game defeat with an 6-0 victory.
Lehigh started the first game well with six runs in the opening three innings, four of which came in the top of the third. Down by three to the Mountain Hawks at the bottom of the fourth, the Pirates rallied to put up five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Hailey Arteaga hit a single and advanced to second on an error as Emily Supercynski and Marisa Pla each recorded a run. Arteaga would go on to score the team’s third run of the inning off a Katherine Matthys single before Baylee Allender stole home for the fourth.
Hailey Arteaga helped Seton Hall to a doubleheader split. Renee Nunez/Staff Photographer
“I think we prepare for that all the time,” said Coach Smith. “We always try to make practice harder than it is in the game. One hit becomes two hits becomes three becomes four and that boulder just keeps getting bigger as we get down the mountain.”
Seton Hall ended the first game at the top of the seventh after keeping Lehigh from scoring for the remaining three innings. After pitching the first match, Reganne Camp was rested in the second game in favor of Mo Sobel.
Lehigh asserted an early lead over the Pirates in game two, though as they put up four runs in the first three innings. Jaelynn Chesson and Jennifer Stoll each contributed a run for Lehigh in the first and second innings respectively. A handful of errors in the third inning off a Reva Alderman double into left field, though, saw the Pirates give up two more unanswered runs.
“Three hits will not win you a softball game” Coach Smith put quite bluntly. “We had a few miscues on defense, but it doesn’t matter how much the other team puts up when you put up zero.”
Despite conceding two more runs before the end of the game, Smith was proud of the performance Sobel delivered from the pitcher’s mound. “She pitched well enough to keep us in the game,” Smith commented, “but offensively we just didn’t meet the tasks.”
The Pirates return to action on Saturday when they face off against Georgetown for another Big East clash.
Justin Sousa can be reached at justin.sousa@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @908Sousa.
