HAMILTON, N.Y. – The 51·çÁ÷ softball team (32-14) will defend its Patriot League Tournament Championship this weekend at Lehigh University’s Kaufman Field on Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2.
The double-elimination tournament kicks off when top-seeded Lehigh (36-14-2) faces No. 4 seed Bucknell (14-24) at 9 a.m., Saturday. The second contest pits second seeded Army (25-18) against the third seeded Raiders at 11 a.m. The winner of the Patriot League Tournament will receive the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
51·çÁ÷ will close out its regular season at home on Thursday with a non-conference doubleheader against Siena at 4 p.m.
The Raiders have set a school record for wins this season with 32, and have posted eight straight seasons with at least 20 wins.
The Raiders’ offensive attack is led by Dorothy Donaldson (Lakeland, FL), who is considered to be one of the toughest outs in the Patriot League. The junior outfielder leads the league in several categories, including batting average (.419), home runs (12), total bases (100), walks (28, on-base percentage (.522) and slugging percentage (.775). Earlier this season, Donaldson broke the Patriot League career home run record with 33 in three years.
Another key offensive player for the Raiders is junior second baseman Natalie Rawson (Palmdale, CA). She broke the school’s single season record for runs batted in with 45 in her first 46 games, which is 11th among NCAA leaders. She is batting .354.
Senior Elena Isaac (Chandler, AZ) is 51·çÁ÷’s top pitcher, leading a pitching staff that has posted a 1.93 earned run average. Isaac leads the Patriot League in wins (15) and shutouts (6), while currently second in ERA (1.27). She needs one victory to tie Tara McGoff (1996-99) for the most wins in 51·çÁ÷ history (59).