The softball team anchored down home field this past week, taking two out of three games over Bucknell University and earning a midweek doubleheader split against Saint Peter’s University.
The Leopards (3-6 Patriot League, 11-28 overall) found their spark over the weekend against the Bison (3-6 Patriot League, 6-29 overall). After dropping a close 4-3 contest in Saturday’s opener, extending their previous losing streak to four, the Leopards roared back for an 11-3 win in game two before sealing the series with a 6-2 win on Sunday
Game one saw the Bison score their first runs in the top of the fifth, taking a 4-0 lead. The Leopards added two in the bottom of the frame and one more in the seventh, but would go on to lose by one.
Lafayette’s offensive surge was relentless in game two, scoring in every inning and jumping out to an early lead behind junior infielder Regan Dillon, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
Dillon sparked the first inning with a triple, while freshman outfielder Ava Butler followed with another triple to go up 2-0. Senior infielder Dani Rosner added an RBI single in the second inning, while junior infielder Katie Harrington and senior catcher Maggie Klug delivered key hits in the third to extend the lead to 5-0.
Harrington drove in two runs with a fourth-inning double, stretching the lead to eight. The Bison put three across in the bottom of the frame but could not inflict any further damage, as the Maroon and White scored three more by the bottom of the sixth to secure an 11-3 win.
The Leopard momentum carried into Sunday’s series finale, where they would ultimately clinch their first Patriot League series victory of the season. Butler, Harrington and Klug all plated runs in the first, and senior infielder Kylie Sweet collected an RBI walk in the second to mount a 5-0 lead. After a Bucknell two-run homer in the third, the Leopards shut down the Bison offense en route to a 6-2 victory.
The Maroon and White returned to non-conference play on Wednesday and continued their offensive surge, splitting a doubleheader with Saint Peter’s (7-30 overall), while securing their 11th win of the season, the program’s highest total since 2017.
In the opener, Lafayette showed its offensive power early, loading the bases in the first inning before Dillon delivered a grand slam to give the Leopards a 4-0 lead. The long ball continued later in the game as freshman utility position player Jessica Tejera delivered a pinch-hit home run for her first collegiate hit.
A strong sixth inning added to the lead and pushed Lafayette ahead 8-3, but the Leopards were unable to hold off a late comeback, as Saint Peter’s delivered seven runs in the bottom of the seventh en route to a 10-8 Peacocks win.
The Maroon and White bounced back right after to claim a 7-5 victory. Harrington set the tone early with a leadoff home run in the second inning, and sophomore infielder Jocelyn O’Keeffe played a key role in the rally, tripling and later scoring on a wild pitch to extend the lead.
Lafayette broke the game open in the fourth inning when O’Keeffe drove in a run with a single before Hall launched a two-run home run to give the Leopards a commanding 5-0 advantage.
Hall continued her standout performance later in the game with an RBI double, while Butler added an RBI single as Lafayette extended its lead to 7-2. Despite a late push from the Peacocks, the Leopards held on to a 7-5 win.
The Leopards head back into Patriot League play for a three-game away series against Holy Cross (10-6 Patriot League, 16-19 overall) this weekend.