FAIRFAX, Va. – Paige Grover, Erin Scott and Grace Harvey each drove in two runs as Lafayette softball battled to an 8-7 final on Sunday morning at the George Mason Softball Complex.
 
The Leopards got started things quickly, scoring three runs in the top of the first. Grover doubled home Julia Romano. Scott followed with a two-run single as Lafayette staked starter Kaili Reitano to a 3-0 lead.
 
Lafayette's bats were active again in the second inning. Freshman Erica Brasher led off with a single and later scored on Grover's RBI-groundout. Lafayette led 4-1.
 
The Highlanders got two runs back in the second. Cam Andersen and Autumn Slemaker each used extra-base hits to trim Lafayette's lead to 4-3.
 
Radford took its first lead, 5-4, in the bottom of the third, scoring two more on a Sofia Tapia single.
 
The Leopards answered with a three-run fifth inning. Harvey doubled home two runs and Natasha Miner connected for an RBI-single up the middle as Lafayette re-took the advantage 7-5.  
 
Radford inched closer in the bottom half, scoring a run on two-out single, as Lafayette led 7-6.
 
Lafayette threatened in the top of the seventh, as Scott (3-for-4) doubled and was just 60 feet from home with two outs in the inning, but could not score.
 
In the seventh, Leopard reliever Kinzi Van Wyk got a groundout for the first out, but walked the next batter. Slemaker then tripled home the tying run to knot the score at 7-7. Riley Oakes ended the game with a run-scoring single to left to run the final to 8-7.
 
Van Wyk tossed 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with four walks and a strikeout in the loss. She came on in relief of Reitano who allowed five runs on five hits with five walks over two innings.
 
Lafayette concludes the Patriot Classic on Sunday afternoon, playing Delaware at 2:30 p.m.