Lehigh plays in the Open League on Friday with the Rivalry Series in Lafayette

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Patriot League play has arrived for the Lehigh softball team, and the Mountain Hawks begin the league table with three games against rival Lafayette this weekend at Metzgar Fields in Easton, Pa.. Expected inclement weather has forced schedule changes The Mountain Hawks and Leopards will now play a single game on Friday at 4 p.m. and a doubleheader on Sunday at noon. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Defending Patriot League Tournament champion Lehigh enters league play 19-6. The Mountain Hawks defeated Monmouth 2-0 in their home game on Wednesday. Junior Katelyn Young threw his first career no-hitter and senior Emily Cimino went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run as Lehigh won its second straight overall. The Mountain Hawks also have the reigning Patriot League Player of the Week as an outfielder Josie Charles and Rookie of the Week in infielder Lily Owens.

Charles is hitting a team-best .438, while Cimino is hitting .333 and leads Lehigh with six home runs and 26 RBI. Second year student Rory Dudley had two hits and an RBI against Monmouth and now has 17 runs on the season.

Young’s second shutout of the season lowered his ERA to 1.76. He owns a 10-3 record and struck out six of his no-hitter ends with 60 strikeouts over 79.2 innings this season. The first year Chloe Hess follows with a 6-2 record, 1.81 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 58 innings.

Lafayette enters league play 2-17-1. The Leopards last went 1-3 in the Mount St. Mary’s Tournament, splitting two games with the Mountaineers and dropping two against UAlbany.

Karavin Dew is in his first season as Lafayette’s head coach as he takes over a program that went 2-16 in league play in 2022.

Harlie Bickett leads Lafayette offensively with a .333 batting average, including 18 hits, 10 runs scored and five RBIs. Jacqueline Cal has thrown a team-high 43 innings in the circle, going 1-5 with a 4.07 ERA.

Lehigh swept last year’s three-game series at Leadership Park and has won 13 straight in the Rivalry.

After this weekend’s series, Lehigh will play its next five games at Leadership Park. The Mountain Hawks host Penn in a doubleheader on March 29 at 2 p.m., then welcome Bucknell to a three-game Patriot League series at 1-2. April.