May 12, 2006
Box Score
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Sophomore right-hander Veronica Barth allowed four hits and one run, and Melissa Garza scored the first run and drove in the game-deciding run as fourth-seeded Army advanced to the championship series of the 2006 Patriot League Softball Tournament with a 3-1 win over second-seeded Lafayette Friday at Kaufman Field.
The Black Knights (18-36) take on regular-season champion and top-seeded Lehigh in the championship game Saturday at 12 p.m. with a seventh and final game, if necessary, to be played at 2 p.m.
Army worked its way back through the losers' bracket of the double elimination tournament after bowing to host Lehigh (39-12) 2-0 in the opening round. The Mountain Hawks posted a pair of shutout wins in moving through the winners' bracket to the championship finals.
It is the fifth straight year and sixth in the last seven that Army has advanced to the championship series of the tournament. The Black Knights will look to make history at the first fourth-seeded team to win the title. Three years ago Army reached the championship series as the No. 4 seed before bowing to No. 2 Colgate.
The Black Knights and Mountain Hawks will battle in the championship series for the third straight year and fourth time in five years. Lehigh needs just one win to defend its title and earn the automatic NCAA bid, while Army has to win twice to take the title. The Black Knights' last league championship was in 2002 when they rallied in the final seventh inning to defeat Lehigh, 2-1.
Army, posting a 2-1 mark the opening day, jumped out to an early 1-0 in the elimination game against Lafayette when Garza drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first, moved to scoring position on a wild pitch and raced home on a two-base throwing error by the third baseman.
Lafayette hurler Megan Averbuch held Army in check over the next three frames before the Black Knights collected three of their final four hits off her for a pair of runs in the late innings to boost their lead to 3-0.
Nikki Posey, who stroked a one-out single to the gap and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, scored what proved to be the game-winning run when she crossed on Garza's two-out double up the middle in the fifth.
The Black Knights pulled ahead 3-0 in the sixth when Lindsey Gerheim, who doubled and moved to second on a fielder's choice, scored on the catcher's overthrow of third base on her stolen base attempt.
Barth (8-18) scattering three hits over the first six innings, fanned one and walked two, in throwing shutout ball before Lafayette (20-28) averted the shutout with a run in the top of the seventh.
