Lehigh University
Navy
Lehigh splits with Navy, takes series 3-1
4/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Annapolis, MD – Lehigh got what they wanted on Sunday, picking up a victory in a doubleheader split with Navy to take the series 3-1 in their quest for the Patriot League postseason. Lehigh won the first game 3-1 to clinch the series, but dropped the final game 8-3 as Navy finally solved the Mountain Hawk pitching staff after being shut down the first three games.
Matt Nusinov pitched six strong innings in game one to win his second game of the season (2-0), giving up eight hits but just one run. John Zaszewski came on in the seventh and got three outs on just eight pitches for his second save of the season.
Lehigh got all three of their runs in the first and second innings off starter Andy Froistad. Forrest Doane, who was 3-3 in the game, singled in Eric Hoffman for the first run in the first to give Lehigh the 1-0 lead.
In the second, Hoffman would again factor in, doubling in Steve Salemme and David Moscow for a 3-0 cushion. Navy would get their lone run in the bottom of the third, as Craig Candeto tripled and scored on an RBI groundout by Chris Ashinhurst.
In the second game, Navy closer Burgess Nichols made a rare start, and dominated the Mountain Hawks as Navy salvaged the last game of the series.
Navy got on the board first, plating four runs in the third to take their first lead of the series. Forrest Doane would cut the deficit to 5-1 with his team-leading sixth home run of the season in the fifth, but Navy would continue to build the lead, scoring a run in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to blow it open.
The Mountain Hawks would get two late runs in the ninth on a double by Zaszewski, an RBI triple by Matt McBride, and an RBI groundout by Doane to make the final 8-3.
Starter Joe Raniszewski took the loss for the Mountain Hawks, giving up four runs on five hits in three innings.
The Mountain Hawks move to 21-17 with the split, and stand at 7-9 in the Patriot League with four games remaining. Navy falls to 12-31, 6-10.
The team will be back in action on Tuesday night, as they take on the Leopards in a non-league game in the semis of the Liberty Bell Classic. The game will be played at Limeport Stadium, and is set to begin at 6
