The softball team went 1-4 this past week, dropping all three games to Colgate University and splitting a doubleheader with Rider University.
In game one at home against Colgate (10-5 Patriot League, 24-24 overall), the Raiders seized control immediately, putting up three runs in the first inning and three more in the second to build a 6-0 lead.
Sophomore pitcher Makayla Lecky entered once Colgate had built its six-run cushion and held the visitors scoreless for the remainder of the game.
The lone spark from the Leopards (5-10 Patriot League, 14-33 overall) came in the bottom of the seventh, when sophomore infielder Caroline Hall ripped an RBI double and later scored on an error, securing a 6-2 win for the Raiders.
Senior infielder Kylee Sweet said that the game plan was “just taking it one pitch at a time.”
“One play at a time, one inning at a time and just playing our softball,” she said. “Trusting our prep and just believing in ourselves and what we can do.”
Following a break on Saturday due to the weather, the series continued on Sunday.
“We just wanted to show out for our seniors, myself included,” senior outfielder Olivia Catalina said. “It would be our last games ever at Metzgar, and we just wanted to enjoy our time with each other and just play our best.”
Both teams’ pitchers dueled it out in Sunday’s opener, with just one run crossing all game. Senior pitcher Marisa Powell scattered three hits through four innings, allowing one run from a solo homer from Colgate, which would be the winning run. Sophomore pitcher Jordan Goedel took it the rest of the way, allowing just one hit over the final three frames.
In Sunday’s second game, the Maroon and White struck first. Junior infielder Katie Harrington singled, advanced and ultimately stole home with the help of a base hit from senior catcher Maggie Klug, swiping a 1-0 lead going into the third.
Colgate chipped away with runs in the third, fifth and seventh to build a 5-1 lead. Lafayette’s two-run push in the seventh gave them a late spark, but the rally stopped there as the Leopards came up short 5-3.
The Leopards struck immediately in Tuesday’s first game against Rider (25-21 overall), plating three runs in the opening frame. Klug had a single late in the inning, driving in two of Lafayette’s first three runs.
With a 6-0 lead going into the top of the fifth, Catalina smoked a two-run home run, extending the lead to eight before senior infielder Dani Roser drove in another run to seal the 9-0 win.
“For some reason, I was seeing the ball really well, and the ball just flew off my bat,” Catalina said. “It was an amazing experience.”
Tuesday evening’s rematch saw the Leopards jump to a 3-1 lead, but the Broncs flipped the momentum with a three-run fourth to pull ahead by one. Rider added two more in the bottom of the fifth for a 6-3 lead.
Lafayette pushed two across in the top of the seventh, but left two stranded on base as the last-minute rally fell short for a 6-5 loss.
“I think we still played really well,” Catalina said. “We also had it close at the end, we almost came back.”
The Leopards currently sit one game behind Bucknell University (6-9 Patriot League, 9-32-1 overall), with both teams competing for the fourth seed in the Patriot League tournament. The team will travel to Lehigh University (4-11 Patriot League, 25-26 overall) for its final conference series of the season, needing to win one more game than Bucknell to clinch a postseason bid.