Lehigh University
Rider
Mountain Hawks drop mid-week game to Rider
4/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – After trailing Rider 4-0 through two innings, Lehigh clawed back with a five-run inning in the third, but it would not be enough as the Broncs added eight more runs to defeat the Mountain Hawks 12-5 at Sonny Pittaro Field on Wednesday afternoon. Lehigh has lost its last six games—all of which have been away from the Goodman Campus. The Mountain Hawks fall to 11-18-1 on the season, while Rider improves to 9-16.
Rider scored one run from Adam Tussey in the first inning and then added runs from David Hayes, Nick Wojnowski and Matt McCollum in the second to take the 4-0 advantage.
Lehigh started the third inning with a single up the middle from sophomore Geoff Campbell. Classmate Michael Laychur walked and, with no outs, freshman Josh Harakal loaded up the bases with a sacrifice bunt. Lehigh’s number of outs quickly changed when junior Joe Ercolano hit into a 4-6-3 double play, but
Laychur made it a two-run game when he scored off a single to right center by junior Liam O’Connor. Senior Nick Bet was walked to give Lehigh runners at first and second. A failed pick-off not only advanced Bet to second, but allowed O’Connor to score and trim Rider’s lead to one. Bet tallied the game-tying run off a double to left center by freshman Dan Clauson, who eventually scored the go ahead run off a Glenn Seitz single to make the score 5-4 in favor of Lehigh.
The Broncs did not wait long to retake the lead and they tallied two runs in the bottom off the third. After being walked, James Hayes advanced to third on a Sean Olson single. James Hayes knotted the game at five off a fielder’s choice. Later in the inning with the bases loaded and one out, another fielder’s choice led to a Rider run, but this time it was David Hayes that scored to give the Broncs a 6-5 lead.
Rider increased its lead in the fifth when the Broncs scored four runs off two hits. The Broncs scored their final two runs of the game in the seventh inning off a pair of RBI singles to left field by Olson and David Hayes.
Junior Andrew Grim earned the loss after allowing Rider’s two runs in the sixth inning. Ryan Miller picked up the win after he allowed no runs off three hits in four innings.
Lehigh returns to the Goodman Campus this weekend for a four-game series with Navy. Doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday are scheduled to begin at noon. The second game on each day will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. For those unable to make it to Goodman Campus on Saturday, live audio of the game will be broadcast online at lehighsports.com with streaming provided by Yahoo! Sports.
