Mountain Hawks squeak by Arcadia on Tuesday

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Sophomore Geoff Campbell’s double in the eighth inning drove in the game-winning run as Lehigh defeated Arcadia Tuesday afternoon by a score of 6-5 on the Goodman Campus. The Knights scored three runs in the top of the eighth to knot the game up at five, but with freshman Christian Valeriano on second, Campbell doubled down the left field line which allowed Valeriano to score. The Mountain Hawks improve to 13-26-1 overall, while Arcadia falls to 21-9.

“Right now, the guys feel good about being on the winning side,” said head coach Sean Leary. “Arcadia is a good team that has won its last nine games. Geoff Campbell has played well and worked hard for us all season long. It was great to see him come through for us today.”

In the second inning, Andy Bella blasted his first home run of the season to give the Knights a 1-0 lead. Arcadia added another run in the third when Dave Morris scored off a Nick Goetz single.

After being shutdown for the first four innings, Lehigh’s offense came alive in the fifth. With the bases loaded, sophomore Michael Laychur singled through the left side to drive in two runs that evened the score. Freshman Josh Harakal scored the go-ahead run when classmate Patrick Groome hit into a fielder’s choice. Laychur eventually scored off a single by junior Joe Ercolano to give Lehigh a 4-2 lead.

Campbell gave Lehigh a three-run lead in the fifth when he scored off a double by Harakal.

However, the Knights rallied in the eighth with Matt Pempkowski hitting a two-run single to make the score 5-4 still in favor of Lehigh. With two outs, John Curreri hit a double to right center that allowed Kevin Kolodgie to score the game-tying run.

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Campbell had his game-winning double that allowed Lehigh to retake the lead. The Mountain Hawks kept Arcadia from reaching base in the ninth in order to preserve the win.

Sophomore Greg Mortka was awarded the win and improves to 4-2 on the season. Mortka pitched the final 1.2 innings, struck out one and allowed one hit. Tim E. Smith picked up the loss after he allowed the game-winning run. Smith pitched one inning and allowed two hits.

Also on Tuesday afternoon, Lehigh garnered two honorable mentions in the Patriot League’s weekly awards with senior Nick Bet and junior Joe Matteo receiving recognition. Bet batted .571 and scored six runs in Lehigh’s five games last week. He had 12 hits, six of which were doubles and one of which was a triple. In his only appearance on the mound, Matteo pitched all seven innings in Lehigh’s 5-0 win over archrival Lafayette. It was the second complete game of the season for Matteo, who allowed four hits in that game.

Lehigh returns to the diamond on Wednesday afternoon when it hosts Coppin State on the Goodman Campus. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 pm.

Lehigh University Athletics

Completed Event: Baseball at #1 Holy Cross on May 11, 2025 , Loss , 9, to, 19

Completed Event: Baseball at #1 Holy Cross on May 11, 2025 , Win , 7, to, 2

Completed Event: Baseball at #1 Holy Cross on May 10, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 10

Completed Event: Baseball at Holy Cross on May 4, 2025 , Loss , 5, to, 17 , (8 inn.)

Completed Event: Baseball at Holy Cross on May 4, 2025 , Win , 10, to, 4

Completed Event: Baseball at Holy Cross on May 3, 2025 , Loss , 7, to, 24 , (7 inn.)

Completed Event: Baseball at Saint Peter's University on April 30, 2025 , Loss , 5, to, 8

Related News

Next Event

Related News

Related Videos