Lehigh wins Patriot League softball title; Moravian wins two to stay alive at D-III regional

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER Rebecca Bliss pitched a two-hit shutout to cap 21 scoreless innings by Lehigh pitchers this weekend in the Patriot League Softball Tournament and the Mountain Hawks won the league title with a 2-0 win over Army at Kaufman Field. Kristin Mitchell and Cassie Waggy knocked in the runs for the Mountain Hawks, who had just five hits. It is Lehigh's second straight league title and seventh in nine years and 12th overall. With the win, Lehigh is 40-17 on the season, the program’s fourth 40-win season and its first since 2006 as the Mountain Hawks get set to make their eighth NCAA regional appearance. They will find out where they are going at 10 p.m. Sunday when the brackets are revealed on ESPNU. Bliss earned tournament MVP honors for the second straight year after throwing 14 scoreless innings against the Black Knights. She was joined on the All-Tournament team by Mitchell, senior Julie Fernandez and junior Liz Lucas. With Bliss’ two wins over Army and Thursday’s two hit shutout by freshman Emily Bausher against Lafayette, Lehigh became the first team to not allow a run in Patriot League history to not allow any runs in tournament play. Score by Innings Army 0 0 0 0 0 0 0----0 2 1 Lehigh 0 0 0 0 1 1 X ---- 2 5 1 E - Johnson(3); Halaquist, T(11). DP - Army 1. LOB - Army 4; Lehigh 5. 2B - Lucas, Liz(14); Mitchell, K.(2). SH - Nguyen(16); Halaquist, T(5). SF - Waggy, C.(1). Meanwhile, in Union, N.J., Moravian beat The College of New Jersey 5-4 and Alvernia 3-0 to stay alive in the NCAA Division III Regional. The Greyhounds (35-10) have now won three straight after losing their tournament opener will play in the final elimination game on Sunday at noon against No. 3 seed Rowan. If Moravian wins that one it will advance to the championship round and have to defeat No. 1 seed Montclair State twice to advance to the NCAA Division III World Series in Salem, Va. Against TCNJ Moravian's first run came on a home run by freshman Dior George, a Liberty graduate. It was George's second home run of the season. Parkland's Shannen Mohr would later add a RBI double. Mohr also reached on the error that plated the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh. Against Alvernia, freshman Jenn Dalickas hit her 10th home run of the season for one of the Greyhounds runs. Here are the boxscores: Moravian College 5, The College of NJ 4 (05/12/12 at Union, N.J.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The College of NJ... 020 110 0 - 4 11 3 (26-17) Moravian College.... 100 300 1 - 5 10 0 (34-10) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pitchers: The College of NJ - Lauren Fitzsimmons; Alex Carisone(4) and Michelle Kent. Moravian College - Jenna Carmon and Cassie Ernst. Win-Jenna Carmon(21-6) Loss-Alex Carisone(8-10) T-1:39 A-89 HR MOR - Dior George (2). Weather: Mostly sunny, 60s Fitzsimmons faced 2 batters in the 4th. Moravian College 3, Alvernia University 0 (05/12/12 at Union, N.J.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Moravian College.... 100 101 0 - 3 6 0 (35-10) Alvernia University. 000 000 0 - 0 3 0 (38-11) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pitchers: Moravian College - Jenna Carmon and Cassie Ernst. Alvernia University - B. Wolfe; D. Dungee(7) and D. Lightner. Win-Jenna Carmon(22-6) Loss-B. Wolfe(23-7) T-1:04 A-57 HR MOR - Cassie Ernst (8); Jenn Dalickas (10). Weather: Sunny, 80