The softball team traveled to Longwood University this past weekend for a four-game tournament, splitting the two-game series against the Lancers but falling twice to Le Moyne College.
Friday’s opener against Longwood (12-15 overall) saw the Leopards (5-13 overall) come out firing, exploding for a 16-6 mercy-rule victory in just five innings.
Junior infielder Katie Harrington jump-started the offense with a two-run homer in the top of the first. The Maroon and White took full advantage of the Lancers’ early pitching struggles — drawing six walks in the opening inning — to build a 6-0 lead right out of the gate.
Longwood pushed across two runs in the bottom of the first, but the Maroon and White wasted no time striking back. Junior infielder Regan Dillon and freshman outfielder Ava Butler each delivered singles to spark a two-run inning, stretching the lead to 8-2 before the Lancers added two more in the bottom of the second to cut the margin to four.
Both teams traded two runs apiece in the fourth after a scoreless third, setting up another six-run frame for the Leopards in the fifth. Senior infielder Kylee Sweet ripped a double to drive in two, and a sacrifice fly from Butler returned the favor. Junior outfielder Sabina Lehnert added an RBI double, and a single from sophomore infielder Caroline Hall plated another to extend the lead to 10.
Longwood failed to net a run in the bottom of the fifth, sealing a 16-6 mercy‑rule victory for the Leopards.
The Leopards returned to the field Friday evening for their first matchup against Le Moyne (3-14 overall). After a scoreless first, the Dolphins broke through in the second to take a 2-0 lead.
The Dolphins tacked on another run in the bottom of the third, and the Leopards would remain off the board until the sixth, when Hall ripped a double to set up an RBI single from Harrington. The Leopards were unable to generate anything more, falling 3-1.
Sunday morning saw the Leopards rematch the Dolphins, who struck first with a pair of runs in the second. The Leopards answered with one of their own in the bottom of the inning, and pulled even in the fourth, tying the game 2-2.
However, the Maroon and White surrendered three runs to the Dolphins on a mix of hits and defensive miscues, then surrendered another in the top of the sixth. From there, the Leopards slumped at the plate and closed out the game with a 6-2 loss.
To cap off the weekend, the Leopards once again took on Longwood University. The Lancers struck first with a run in the opening inning, followed by a Leopard RBI walk to even the score. Longwood responded in the bottom of the second, pushing the lead to 3-1.
Across the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, the Dolphins tacked on five more runs, while the Leopards managed three of their own in the sixth and seventh. The Maroon and White closed out the day with an 8-4 loss, finishing the weekend 1-3 overall.
The Leopards will return to Virginia to face off in two games apiece against Radford University (8-14 overall) and East Tennessee State University (11-6 overall) this weekend.