Lehigh University
Delaware State
Mountain Hawks win their fourth straight
3/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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DOVER, Del. – Lehigh won its fourth straight game, with a 4-3 win over Delaware State Tuesday afternoon in Dover, Del. The Mountain Hawks received another strong outing from sophomore Rob Russell (2-0) as he went 6.1 innings on the hill, surrendering just two runs on seven hits while striking out four. Russell’s brother, freshman Andy Russell, provided the offense driving in two runs for the Mountain Hawks, who improve to 8-6 on the year. With the loss,
Joe Ercolano led the game off with a single to center field, and advanced to third on a double to left field by Brendan McGaheran. Andy Russell drove in the first run when he grounded out to second base, allowing both runners to move up a base, scoring Ercolano on the play. The next batter, Logan Marshall, provided another some great situational hitting, when he pulled the ball to second base, allowing McGaheran to score and Lehigh jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.
Rob Russell allowed just four hits through the first six innings of play. The only run the right-hander allowed in those innings was a solo homerun by Jose Sanchez in the bottom of the third. The score remained 2-1 heading into the seventh.
Billy Goldman, the Patriot League Rookie of the Week, led the inning off with a single to right center. He advanced to second on a sacrifice by McGaheran and then moved up to third on a wild pitch. Andy Russell picked up his second RBI of the game, as his hit was misplayed by first baseman James Friel, allowing Goldman to score.
The Hornets picked up three hits in the bottom half of the inning, but could only get one run out them, on an RBI single to right field by Jose Portela.
With the Mountain Hawks leading 3-2 in the top of the ninth, Ercolano gave the Brown and White some breathing room, when he belted a solo homerun to right field, his team best third of the season.
Delaware State threatened to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, after Friel hit a solo homerun to right field off reliever Andrew Berger, to make the score 4-3. However, Berger got the last two batters of the game out, including a strikeout looking to put an end to the end.
Berger pitched the final 2.2 innings, giving up just that one run on two hits. Chase Kornemann (0-1) earned the loss for the Hornets, going seven innings, giving up two earned runs on seven hits.
Lehigh is back in action tomorrow, when it travels to
