By: Zach West

The Lady Zips softball team recorded a 3-1 record over the weekend in the Patriot Classic in Fairfax, Va.

The Zips dropped the first game of their doubleheader on Saturday to Cornell with a score of 9-8.

Lisa Lash was on the mound for the Zips for her first start of the season.  Cornell scored five runs in the first two innings, making it 5-1 after Taryn Allmon drove in Lash for her first of four RBI’s in the game in the top of the second.

In the top of the third the Zips cut the lead down to 5-3 after a homerun by Alissa Birkhimer and Allison Dorr drove in Kellie Roudabush.

Allmon made the score 6-5 with a three-run double in the fifth inning to take their first lead of the game.  After adding a run in the top of the sixth, the Zips were up 7-5.  Cornell then scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to put them back ahead 9-7 going into the seventh.

The Zips’ comeback was put to an end after Allmon hit a groundout RBI to make the final score 9-8.

Birkhimer and Roudaush both led the team in batting, going 3-4 and scoring a combined three runs.  Lash also was accountable for scoring two runs, going 1-3 with a walk.

Brittany Mauer was on the mound for the Zips in game two Saturday against George Mason, posting her fourth win of the season.

The Zips fell to a 1-0 deficit in the first inning but then rebounded to make the score 4-1 by scoring runs in the second, third and fourth innings thanks to Allmon’s RBI double in the second and Rachael Ratcliff’s two-run homerun in the third.  In the fourth, Alexa Montesano scored an unearned run.

George Mason scored runs in the fifth and sixth inning to cut the Zips’ lead to one.  Mauer helped her own cause by hitting a two-run single in the sixth to seal the win for the Zips.

The batting leaders for the Zips were Ratcliff, who went 3-3 with one run and two RBI’s, and Allmon, who went 2-2 with a run and an RBI, for five RBIs on the day.

In day two of the Patriot Classic, the Zips posted a pair of wins against Marist and Rider University.

Mauer was on the mound for both games and improved her record to 6-6 for the season.

By: Zach West

The Zips were down 3-2 against the Red Foxes after two innings.  In the third, Lash put the Zips up 4-3 with a two-run homerun, scoring Roudabush.

The Zips would not look back. After scoring another run in the fifth, the Zips shut out the Red Foxes after the second inning for a final score of 5-3.

Mauer and Nester Keelia led the team in batting, combing for five of the Zips’ 11 hits.  Mauer went 2-4 with a run and an RBI, while Keelia went 3-3 with a run and an RBI as well.

The Zips wrapped up the weekend by defeating Rider University 7-3.

The team was down 2-1 after three innings until a five-run fifth inning rally propelled the Zips to victory.  Radcliff started out the comeback with a double in the bottom of the fifth.  She and Roudabush, who walked, scored after a double by Allison Dorr.  Lash got on base with a fielder’s choice and Montesano was sent in to pinch run for her.  Dorr and Montesano were brought in on a single by Keelia.  Keelia then scored on a single by Alex Helfrich.

UA and Rider both scored runs in the sixth, making the final score 7-3.

The leaders for the Zips were Birkhimer, Radcliffe and Dorr, all going 2-3.  Radcliffe scored two runs, while Dorr scored one run and posted three RBIs

The Zips will head to Kissimmee, Fla., March 9-12 to participate in the Rebel Spring games.  They will play eight games over four days.  They open up their play against Penn State and Indiana State on day one of the event.