NEWARK, DE -- The University of Delaware softball team fell in the first game of a doubleheader, 4-3, to Lehigh and tied the Mountain Hawks, 2-2 in six innings, in the nightcap in the Blue Hens' 2007 home opener Thursday afternoon at Delaware Field.

The Mountain Hawks (7-11-1) took the lead in the opener by scoring three runs in the top of the fourth inning. Lauren Haney led off the inning with a single and was pinch run for by Ali Torborg. Julie Sterrett then reached on an error by Blue Hen first baseman Michelle Kenney, and after a pop out, Mendy Martin beat out an infield single to load the bases. Lisa Sweeney then drilled a triple to the leftfield wall, scoring all three runners and giving Lehigh a a 3-0 lead.

The Blue Hens (4-10-1) got a run back in the bottom of the fifth when Kenney homered to leftcenter, her second long ball of the season, but the Mountain Hawks answered with a run in the top of the sixth.

With one out Taryn Hanley singled to center, and after she moved to second on a single to left by Martin, Hanley scored when Sweeney laced a single to center. Lehigh tried to add another run in the inning when Kate Marvel singled up the middle with two outs, but Delaware centerfielder Katie Lee threw out Mountain Hawks pinch runner Stephanie Palmieri at the plate to end the frame.

Lee then led off the bottom of the inning by tripling to rightcenter, and one out later Kim Ovittore (above) singled up the middle to score Lee and make it a 4-2 game.

Delaware mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh, as Barbara Traynor and Kenney walked to open the frame. Both runners then moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt by Michelle Plant, and Traynor scored while pinch runner Marianne Marinella went to third when Cecile Egan hit a sacrifice fly to Lehigh second baseman Megan Conrad. However Sweeney struck out Lee swinging to end the game as the Mountain Hawks held on for the victory.

Sweeney improved to 5-3 on the season after allowing three earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts, while Blue Hen pitcher Carolynn Sloat dropped to 2-5 as she gave up four runs, three earned, on 11 hits while striking out three batters.

The Blue Hens struck first in the nightcap as Egan led off the bottom of the first with a single to left, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Lee, and scored on a two-out single to center by Ovittore.

Lehigh tied the game in the top of the fourth when Whitney Lowe led off with a single to center, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Heather Hamasaki, and scored on a single down the leftfield line by Haney. Delaware regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Egan singled to left with one out, moved to second on a bunt single by Lee, and scored on a two-out single to rightfield by Ovittore.

However the Mountain Hawks immediately answered by scoring a run in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 2-2. Haney singled to rightcenter with one out and was pinch run for by Conrad. Sterrett then singled to advance Conrad to second, and one out later Martin singled to left to plate Conrad with the tying run.

The Blue Hens put runners on first and second with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but Lehigh starter Tiffany Curtis got Delaware pinch hitter Barbara Traynor to foul out to rightfield and the game was called due to darkness. The game marked the first tie for Delaware since a 4-4 deadlock with Rutgers on April 28, 2004.

Delaware starter Samantha Shawn allowed two earned runs on six hits while striking out two, while Curtis also gave up two runs on eight hits while posting nine strikeouts for Lehigh. Cecile Egan went 3 for 3 with two runs scored for the Blue Hens, while Ovittore went 2 for 3 with a pair of runs batted in.

Delaware opens Colonial Athletic Association action on Saturday when the Blue Hens travel to Drexel for an 11 a.m. doubleheader with the Dragons.

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