BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The University of Pennsylvania softball team dropped a midweek doubleheader at Lehigh on Wednesday afternoon. The Quakers rallied to cut the Lehigh lead to one run twice in the opening game but the Mountain Hawks responded with a run following both inning Penn scored. Game two saw more of a pitching duel as Lehigh took the second game by a 3-1 final.

FINAL: Lehigh 8, Penn 2
Lehigh struck first for two runs in the bottom of the first. The Mountain Hawks hit a one-out solo shot to right and then stuck for another run on a base hit up the middle scored the runner from second.
 
The Quakers responded in the top of the second as they got one run back. With one out and runners on first and second, Sammy Fenton hit a rocket down the left field line to score Dana Anderson from second.
 
The home team quickly answered in the bottom of the second with an almost identical play as the second inning. With two outs and runners on first and second, Lehigh hit a base hit up the middle that scored the runner from second making it a 3-1 score.
 
Brianna Brown improved to a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen bases in the top of the third.
 
Penn got a break to end a bases loaded two out threat in the bottom of the third inning. Following a pitching change and an infield single to load the bases, Lehigh's number three hitter hit a rocket line drive right up the middle that hit the runner at second for the final out of the third inning.
 
Danica Larwill singled to center in the top of the fourth inning to cut the Lehigh lead to just one as she scored Fenton from second.
 
Brown added another stolen base to her season total in the top of the fifth after leading the inning off with a five-pitch walk.
 
The first four batters reached in the bottom of the fifth inning on a triple, walk, infield single, and a base hit to left as Lehigh extended its lead to 7-2 before the first out of the inning was made on a fly out to center. With two outs the home team added another run on a RBI base hit to right scored the runner on third.
 
Penn threatened in the top of the sixth getting runners on second and third with two outs but was unable to push a run across as the final out of the top of the sixth was a fly out to right.
 
The teams combined to leave 22 runners on base. Penn pitching stranded the bases loaded in the first four innings.  
 
FINAL: Lehigh 3, Penn 1
 
The second game was locked in a scoreless tie through the top of the third as the teams combined for just three hits and five runners left on base.
 
Lehigh struck for its first run in the bottom of the third on a two out RBI base hit down the right field line scoring the runner from third. Two more runs crossed the plate for the Mountain Hawks in the bottom of the fourth on a two RBI double to left center giving the home team a 3-0 lead.
 
The Quakers got on the board in the top of the sixth as Fenton hit an RBI double to center to score Brianna Brown from second.
 
Kelly Zybura stranded runners on second and third to end the sixth inning. Zybura pitched her sixth complete game as she struck out a career-high three batters.  
 
QUAKER NOTEMEAL

• Payton Bean and Rachel Riley combined for five strike outs in game one, one shy of the season high recorded in Penn's 3-2 nine inning loss to Oakland.
• Brianna Brown improved to 11-for-11 in stolen bases with two stolen bases in game one.  

UP NEXT
The Red and Blue return to Ivy League play this weekend with a single game at 4 p.m. on Friday and a 12:30 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday against Princeton.