BOSTON – Top seed Boston University and No. 2 Lehigh earned wins on the first day of the 2023 Patriot League Softball Championship on Thursday at Boston University's Softball Field in Boston, Mass.
 
BU defeated No. 4 Bucknell, 5-1, in game one, while the No. 2 Lehigh Mountain Hawks claimed a 5-1 victory over No. 3 Army West Point in game two.

BU and Lehigh open Friday's action at 11 a.m. (game three), followed by Army and Bucknell (game four) at 1:30 p.m. The final game of the day (game five) will feature the winner of game four versus the loser of game three at 4 p.m. 

All three games will be streamed on ESPN+. For information about the 2023 Patriot League Softball Championship, click here.  

Patriot League Records Broken in the Patriot League Softball Championship
Day One
* Boston University junior Kayla Roncin set the Patriot League record in hits in a season with 86. The record was previously held by Army’s Amanda Nguyen tallied 85 hits in 2013.
* Roncin also broke the League’s total bases in a season record with a total of 134, passing Lehigh’s Jen Colquhoun’s mark of 133 from 2012.   

No. 1 Boston University Terriers (49-8, 17-1 PL) 5, No. 4 Bucknell Bison (16-29, 8-10 PL) 1
Box Score
BOSTON – The Terriers earned the first win of the 2023 Patriot League Softball Championship as they defeated No. 4 Bucknell 5-1. 
* Junior outfielder Lauren Keleher led BU’s offense going 2-for-3, with two RBIs and one run scored. 
* The Bison got on the board first with an RBI single from junior right fielder Annabella Hawkins in the top of the second.
* In the bottom of the third, singles from Keleher, junior infielder Kayla Roncin and senior infielder Caitlin Coker put BU ahead 3-1.
* The Terriers tacked on the final two runs of the game with an RBI triple from Keleher, and an RBI single from graduate student outfielder Emily Gant in the bottom of the fifth. 
* Patriot League Rookie of the Year, freshman pitcher Kasey Ricard, earned the win giving up no runs while striking out four in four innings of relief. 
* Bucknell senior pitcher Olivia Marinelli gave up three hits and three runs for the loss. 
Recaps: Boston University | Bucknell

No. 2 Lehigh Mountain Hawks (40-12, 16-2 PL) 5, No. 3 Army West Point Black Knights
(20-36, 10-8 PL) 1
Box Score
BOSTON – The No. 2 Lehigh Mountain Hawks recorded a 5-1 win over No. 3 Army West Point in day one of the Patriot League Softball Championships.
* Graduate student Carley Barjaktarovich broke Lehigh’s 11-year-old record in career hits with 264, passing Julie Fernandez’s mark of 263 set in 2012.
* Lehigh freshman pitcher Chloe Hess got the complete-game win while giving up just four hits and one run in seven innings.
* Lehigh jumped to a 1-0 lead when junior outfielder Brooke Cannon singled and scored in the bottom of the second.
* In the top of the fourth, the Black Knight’s evened the score with singles from freshmen designated player Taylor Brown and infielder Ashton White, followed by senior outfielder Kaci Donaldson’s RBI double.
* A triple by senior outfielder Josie Charles, and singles from freshman Lily Owens and sophomore Rory Dudley put the Mountain Hawks up 3-1.
* In the bottom of the sixth, Lehigh went ahead 5-1 on senior outfielder Emily Cimino’s two-RBI double to center field.
* Cimino, an All-Patriot League first team member, finished the day with two hits and two RBIs.
* Army senior pitcher Alicyn Grete gave up two earned runs in 4.1 innings in the loss.
 Recaps: Army West Point | Lehigh
 
Patriot League Championship Schedule
Thursday, May 11 | BU Softball Field
Game 1 - #1 Boston University 5 vs. #4 Bucknell 1
Game 2 - #2 Lehigh 5 vs. #3 Army West Point 1
 
Friday, May 12 | BU Softball Field
Game 3 – #1 Boston University vs. #2 Lehigh @ 11 a.m.
Game 4 – #3 Army West Point vs. #4 Bucknell @ 1:30 p.m.
Game 5 – Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3 @ 4 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 13 | BU Softball Field
Game 6 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5 @ 12 p.m.
Game 7 – Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6 (if necessary) @ 2:30 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League's athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.