Lehigh University
Penn
Lehigh back on board with convincing win over Penn
4/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Up by a 5-1 score, Lehigh left fielder Andrew Smith led off the home half of the fifth with a solo home run over the wall in right-center field. The homer was his Patriot League-leading tenth of the season. In the process, Smith has tied Jeff Onorato ’85 and former teammate Jesse Novalis ’04 for the most home runs in a single season in Lehigh baseball history.
Later in the fifth, first baseman Forrest Doane hit his ninth homer of the season – a three run shot to right-center as the Mountain Hawks batted around and scored seven times.
An inning later, Lehigh ripped seven hits and scored seven more as the Mountain Hawks batted around for the second consecutive frame.
Second baseman Mike Sandonato was 4-for-5 for Lehigh with three runs scored. Designated hitter Matt McBride did Sandonato one better: he was 4-for-4 with three doubles and five runs batted in on the afternoon. Doane, who was 3-for-5, scored three times and drove home four.
Joe Ercolano, Nick Bet, and Andrew Smith all smacked three hits apiece in the win.
In all, Lehigh registered 27 hits in the win – by far a season high – and all nine Lehigh starters picked up at least one base hit. The 20-run outburst marked the most Lehigh runs in a game since the Mountain Hawks scored 22 times in a win at Maryland-Eastern Shore on April 17, 2003.
On the mound, freshman Joe Raniszewski threw three scoreless innings to improve his record to 4-0 on the season.
Lehigh is back in action on Saturday, as the first place Mountain Hawks resume Patriot League play against Navy. First pitch in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader is scheduled for noon at Lehigh’s Goodman Field.
