DOVER, Del. – For the second consecutive season, the Mountain Hawks opened their season at Delaware State and scored seven runs. However, the Hornets scored five runs in the third and the sixth innings to hand Lehigh a 13-7 loss at Solider Field in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. The second game of the doubleheader was suspended after six and a half innings due to darkness with the teams tied 4-4.
In the first game, both senior Nick Bet and sophomore Matt Reitz belted out their first home runs of the season. With the scored tied at two and senior Stephen Salemme on second with two outs, Bet belted his homer to give the Mountain Hawks a 4-2 lead at the top of the third. However, the Hornets would score five runs on three hits in the bottom half of the inning to take a 7-4 lead.
Lehigh came to within one run after senior David Moscow and Reitz both scored off a Delaware State fielding error in the top of the fourth. The Mountain Hawks then tied the game at 7-7 in the fifth inning when Reitz homered to right center with two outs, but that would be as close as Lehigh would get as the Hornets took the lead off a Jamie Friel run in the bottom of the fifth and then sealed the win with a five-run sixth inning.
J.R. McAllister pitched six innings for the win, while freshman Greg Angelo picked up the loss on the mound for the Mountain Hawks.
In the second game, freshman Glenn Seitz singled up the middle to drive in sophomore Geoff Campbell and junior Joe Ercolano to give the Mountain Hawks a 2-0 at the end of the first. Delaware State would come back with two runs in the second, but Lehigh regained the lead when Campbell homered to center field and then Reitz scored off a Delaware State fielding error. The Hornets got a pair of runs in the sixth inning to tie the game. Darkness would ultimately force the game to be suspended after six and a half innings of play.
Tomorrow’s games have been postponed and no make-up date has been scheduled.
