Tuesday, April 26
3:30 p.m.
Lehigh University
vs
Iona
Donnelly named Player of the Week as Lehigh prepares to face Iona and NYIT
4/25/2016 3:07:00 PM | Baseball
Iona: Watch Free | Live Stats
NYIT: Video | Live Stats
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh baseball junior Patrick Donnelly has been named the Patriot League Player of the week for his role in the Mountain Hawks' four-game sweep of rival Lafayette. Donnelly and Lehigh will play a pair of midweek tune-ups when the Mountain Hawks host Iona Tuesday in the final scheduled home game of the season at Legacy Park before Lehigh travels to NYIT Wednesday. First pitch for both games is set for 3:30 p.m. Free video of Tuesday's game against Iona will be available on the Patriot League Network.
Donnelly played a big part in Lehigh's four-game sweep of Lafayette over the weekend to help the Mountain Hawks catapult themselves back into postseason contention. He went 6-for-17 at the plate with a home run, two doubles, seven RBI and three runs scored in the four rivalry victories. Donnelly had a hit and RBI in all four contests, with multiple RBI in three of the four games. The Bethlehem, Pa. native knocked in three runs in Saturday's twinbill against the Leopards before going 4-for-8 with four RBI and two runs scored as the Mountain Hawks grabbed a pair of victories Sunday to secure the series sweep. For the week, Donnelly was 8-for-23 with a home run, eight RBIs, three doubles and five runs scored in Lehigh's six games. This is the first Patriot League Player of the Week honor of Donnelly's career and the third time this season that a Mountain Hawk has garnered the award (Jacen Nalesnik 3/21, Mike Garzillo 4/4). Senior Kevin Boswick earned honorable mention status for the league's Pitcher of the Week award after securing a win and a save against the Leopards.
The series sweep over Lafayette brought Lehigh from last place to a tie for third in the Patriot League standings. Senior Mike Garzillo hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning of the series opener to lead Lehigh to a 4-3 victory before the Mountain Hawks bats and a quality start from sophomore Peter Moore helped Lehigh capture a 10-4 win in Saturday's nightcap. Lehigh rode strong starts from sophomores Sam Ashey and Mark Washington and clutch saves from Boswick and senior Brandon Kulp as the Mountain Hawks picked up 5-2 and 6-3 victories Sunday.
Junior Jacen Nalesnik leads Lehigh for the season with a .325 batting average, while Garzillo follows with a mark of .323 and a league-leading 42 runs scored and a team-best six home runs. Junior David Young is hitting .312, while Donnelly has recorded a league-high 43 RBI this season. Washington, Ashey and Moore have all secured four wins apiece. Senior Kevin Long leads the pitching staff with 35 strikeouts, while Moore follows with 34. Several Lehigh pitchers are expected to see action against Iona and NYIT.
Iona carries an 8-28 overall record into Tuesday's 3:30 p.m. contest at Legacy Park. The Gaels have lost 12 of their last 13 games and were most recently swept in a three-game MAAC set at Canisius over the weekend. Iona is led offensively by Sean Breen who is hitting .293 with 24 RBI, while Carmine Palummo follows with a .292 batting average. Matt Byrne is batting .291 with a team-best 22 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. Alex Fishberg and Patrick Ryan lead the Gaels pitching staff with two wins apiece. Iona holds a team ERA of 6.12. Lehigh and Iona met five times last season, with Lehigh winning the final three contests including an 11-1 win in the most recent meeting on April 28, 2015 in New Rochelle, N.Y.
NYIT is 17-20 overall this season and the Bears are coming off a 2-2 series split against NJIT over the weekend. Joe Daru leads NYIT in a number of offensive categories, including batting average (.371), RBI (28), runs scored (35) and stolen bases (23). Louis Mele follows with a .290 batting average and 23 RBI. The Bears' pitching staff holds a 4.68 ERA. Lehigh and NYIT met earlier this season on March 22 at Legacy Park when the Mountain Hawks broke a 2-2 tie with a four-run sixth inning before adding four runs in the final two frames en route to a 10-5 win. Nalesnik led the team with three RBI, two runs scored and a home run to go along with his 2-for-5 showing at the plate. Garzillo went 3-for-4, while senior Mackey Price and junior Stephen Fitzgerald both recorded two RBI. Ashey earned the win on the mound after hurling six two-run innings.
Following the midweek games, Lehigh will head to Army this weekend to close out regular-season Patriot League play. The Mountain Hawks will be looking to clinch their third-straight postseason berth.
Like Lehigh baseball on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
NYIT: Video | Live Stats
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh baseball junior Patrick Donnelly has been named the Patriot League Player of the week for his role in the Mountain Hawks' four-game sweep of rival Lafayette. Donnelly and Lehigh will play a pair of midweek tune-ups when the Mountain Hawks host Iona Tuesday in the final scheduled home game of the season at Legacy Park before Lehigh travels to NYIT Wednesday. First pitch for both games is set for 3:30 p.m. Free video of Tuesday's game against Iona will be available on the Patriot League Network.
Donnelly played a big part in Lehigh's four-game sweep of Lafayette over the weekend to help the Mountain Hawks catapult themselves back into postseason contention. He went 6-for-17 at the plate with a home run, two doubles, seven RBI and three runs scored in the four rivalry victories. Donnelly had a hit and RBI in all four contests, with multiple RBI in three of the four games. The Bethlehem, Pa. native knocked in three runs in Saturday's twinbill against the Leopards before going 4-for-8 with four RBI and two runs scored as the Mountain Hawks grabbed a pair of victories Sunday to secure the series sweep. For the week, Donnelly was 8-for-23 with a home run, eight RBIs, three doubles and five runs scored in Lehigh's six games. This is the first Patriot League Player of the Week honor of Donnelly's career and the third time this season that a Mountain Hawk has garnered the award (Jacen Nalesnik 3/21, Mike Garzillo 4/4). Senior Kevin Boswick earned honorable mention status for the league's Pitcher of the Week award after securing a win and a save against the Leopards.
The series sweep over Lafayette brought Lehigh from last place to a tie for third in the Patriot League standings. Senior Mike Garzillo hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning of the series opener to lead Lehigh to a 4-3 victory before the Mountain Hawks bats and a quality start from sophomore Peter Moore helped Lehigh capture a 10-4 win in Saturday's nightcap. Lehigh rode strong starts from sophomores Sam Ashey and Mark Washington and clutch saves from Boswick and senior Brandon Kulp as the Mountain Hawks picked up 5-2 and 6-3 victories Sunday.
Junior Jacen Nalesnik leads Lehigh for the season with a .325 batting average, while Garzillo follows with a mark of .323 and a league-leading 42 runs scored and a team-best six home runs. Junior David Young is hitting .312, while Donnelly has recorded a league-high 43 RBI this season. Washington, Ashey and Moore have all secured four wins apiece. Senior Kevin Long leads the pitching staff with 35 strikeouts, while Moore follows with 34. Several Lehigh pitchers are expected to see action against Iona and NYIT.
Iona carries an 8-28 overall record into Tuesday's 3:30 p.m. contest at Legacy Park. The Gaels have lost 12 of their last 13 games and were most recently swept in a three-game MAAC set at Canisius over the weekend. Iona is led offensively by Sean Breen who is hitting .293 with 24 RBI, while Carmine Palummo follows with a .292 batting average. Matt Byrne is batting .291 with a team-best 22 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. Alex Fishberg and Patrick Ryan lead the Gaels pitching staff with two wins apiece. Iona holds a team ERA of 6.12. Lehigh and Iona met five times last season, with Lehigh winning the final three contests including an 11-1 win in the most recent meeting on April 28, 2015 in New Rochelle, N.Y.
NYIT is 17-20 overall this season and the Bears are coming off a 2-2 series split against NJIT over the weekend. Joe Daru leads NYIT in a number of offensive categories, including batting average (.371), RBI (28), runs scored (35) and stolen bases (23). Louis Mele follows with a .290 batting average and 23 RBI. The Bears' pitching staff holds a 4.68 ERA. Lehigh and NYIT met earlier this season on March 22 at Legacy Park when the Mountain Hawks broke a 2-2 tie with a four-run sixth inning before adding four runs in the final two frames en route to a 10-5 win. Nalesnik led the team with three RBI, two runs scored and a home run to go along with his 2-for-5 showing at the plate. Garzillo went 3-for-4, while senior Mackey Price and junior Stephen Fitzgerald both recorded two RBI. Ashey earned the win on the mound after hurling six two-run innings.
Following the midweek games, Lehigh will head to Army this weekend to close out regular-season Patriot League play. The Mountain Hawks will be looking to clinch their third-straight postseason berth.
Like Lehigh baseball on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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