Florida Atlantic Eliminates Lehigh

Lincoln -- Amanda Morin tossed a complete-game shutout, as Florida Atlantic ousted Lehigh, 3-0, from the NCAA Lincoln Regional Thursday evening at Bowlin Stadium.

Lehigh went hitless through 6.1 innings, as Morin dominated the Mountain Hawks. Morin looked untouchable until the bottom of the seventh when LU’s bats came alive to the tune of two hits and a walk to load the bases with one out.

Morin, who improved to 20-7 with the win, allowed her first hit of the game when catcher Mary Weider doubled to the right center field gap to break up the no-hit bid. Lauren Haney then walked, and Liz Gripp laced a single that landed just in front of the center fielder to load the bases. But Morin came back to strike out Kelly Kleiwer and induced Mendy Martin to foul out down behind the third base bag to end the game.

Morin went 7.0 innings, allowing two hits with eight strikeouts and just one walk. It was the sixth time this season she has recorded at least eight strikeouts.

Jessica Braggins got Florida Atlantic started in the top of the third. Braggins, who leads the NCAA Lincoln Regional with three RBIs, lined a ball off Lehigh pitcher Heather Hamasaki’s foot for her first hit of the day. As FAU second baseman Jessica Young chased the ball into shallow right field, Jessica Sachs scored from second base to give the Owls a 1-0 lead. Sachs reached with a single to open the frame and moved over on Callie Piper’s sacrifice.

In the top of the seventh, Sachs drove an RBI double to the left center field gap to put FAU ahead 2-0. Sachs then scored for a three-run cushion when Piper grounded out to the pitcher.

Emily Ling, the losing pitcher in Lehigh’s first game, entered in relief of Hamasaki in the top of the fourth. Ling went 4.0 innings, allowing just two hits, but gave up two runs as the Mountain Hawks ended the season with a 40-17-2 record.

FAU (55-17) returns to action on Friday at 6 p.m. against the loser of the Cal-Mississippi State game immediately preceeding.