The Mercyhurst Lakers Softball team fell to the Le Moyne College Dolphins, 2-4 and 2-3, in a March 29 double- header.
“We played solid defense,” said Emily Hair, junior second baseman. “Offensively, we hit the ball hard; our only issue was that the hits were all directly at someone on defense.”
Game one started with the Dolphins getting consecutive runs in for both the first and second innings. A hit by Hair in the third sent junior utility player Cassandra Egelston home to make the score 2-1. The Dolphins followed this with a run in the fourth to bring their lead back up to two runs.
Unfortunately, the Lakers were only able to put up one more run in the seventh inning when senior outfielder Rachel DiBartolomeo hit one out to center field, allowing for Lindsey Parese, junior center outfielder, to head home to make it 2-3.
The second of the two games saw the Dolphins take a 2-0 lead with scores in the first and third innings. It wasn’t until the bottom of the sixth inning that the Lakers would get on the score, but a home run by Hair allowed for DiBartolomeo to get an RBI to tie the game. However, the Dolphins scored a homer and RBI at the top of the seventh. This resulted in a 2-4 lead, from which the Lakers were unable to match when their turn came to bat in the bottom of the seventh.
“The course of the game wasn’t decided either way until late into both games,” said Hair. “The games were so close that any mistake capitalized on by either team would decide the fate of the game. In the first game, it was a few key hits by Le Moyne. In the second game, we were able to tie it up in the bottom of the sixth, but their quick response in the top of the seventh was what sealed the deal for them.”
Hair was confident about the Lakers’ fortunes for this Spring. “We have been playing very tough teams on purpose for non-conference to prepare us for the PSAC,” Hair said.
The Lakers’ next opponent was Slippery Rock on April 3. They won the first game 5-2 and lost the second 6-7 in the double header. The Lakers are currently 7-15-1 for the season.