Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh downs St. Joseph's in wild game
9/14/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Limeport, PA – Lehigh right fielder Jeremy Mack was 4-5 at the plate, driving in two runs as the Mountain Hawks outlasted St. Joseph’s by a 14-7 score in a wild marathon played at Limeport Stadium Tuesday night. In a game that lasted nearly four hours, Mack, from nearby Coopersburg, belted a double and smacked a triple in the win. Lehigh improves to 15-12-1 on the season (2-2 in the Patriot League), while the Hawks drop to 4-26-1 overall (1-8 in Atlantic 10 play).
With Lehigh holding a one-nothing first inning lead, Mack doubled to right-center field, plating two Mountain Hawk runners, giving the Brown & White a 3-0 lead. A second inning sac fly from third baseman Justin Pagan gave the Mountain Hawks a 4-1 lead. Pagan was 2-4 at the plate on the night, scoring three times.
As the light drizzle turned into a legitimate rainfall, the Hawks rallied with a five-spot in the top of the third inning to build a 6-4 advantage. St. Joseph’s capitalized on three singles and a Lehigh error to come from behind and take the lead. Lehigh first baseman Forrest Doane singled in a run in the bottom of the inning, cutting the deficit to one. Doane had an excellent night offensively, with three hits and two runs scored.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Lehigh second baseman Eric Hoffman deposited the first pitch of the inning over the wall in left-center field, tying the game at six. The blast was Hoffman’s third of the season, and second in as many games.
The Mountain Hawks broke the game open with five runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the rally didn’t come without its share of controversy. After two singles started the inning, shortstop Anthony Piccola singled to center, plating two runs to make the score 8-6 in favor of Lehigh. With runners at first and third and one out, third baseman Jesse Novalis hammered a 1-0 pitch that cleared the wall in left field, for an apparent three-run home run. The home plate umpire originally signaled the ball foul, and the Lehigh bench jumped up in disbelief as Novalis circled the bases. The two umpires gathered to discuss the call, and eventually ruled that the ball was indeed fair, marking Novalis’ sixth homer of the season. Despite words of protest from the St. Joe’s bench, the call stood, and Lehigh led 11-6. Novalis finished the night 2-5 at the plate, driving in four runs.
The Hawks plated a run in the top of the sixth inning, but Lehigh quashed any hope of a St. Joseph’s comeback with three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, including a Jeff Pietrak homer, sealing a 14-7 victory.
The game was sloppy all night, both on the field and in the box score. Several players slipped on the wet grass, though fortunately there were no injuries. The two teams combined for 21 runs, 33 hits, and three errors, and they left a combined 23 runners on base. There were two batters hit by a pitch, two wild pitches, and a passed ball on the night.
Every Mountain Hawk had at least one hit in the game, and eight Lehigh hitters scored at least one run. In addition to his usual spectacular glovework, Anthony Piccola collected three hits on the night, raising his batting average to .302 on the season. St. Joe’s was led offensively by senior left fielder Justin Godusky. The Macungie native and Emmaus High School grad was a perfect 3-3 at the plate, scoring twice.
On the mound, neither starter figured in the decision. Freshman Matt Mezzancello pitched 3.2 innings of relief to pick up the win for Lehigh, and he improves to 2-0 on the season. Al Braun allowed eight runs in 3.1 innings of relief to suffer the loss for St. Joseph’s, dropping his record to 0-8. Keith Frerichs pitched three shutout innings for the Mountain Hawks to notch his first save. Lehigh evens its record in night games at 1-1 on the season.
The Mountain Hawks don’t have much time to rest, as Lehigh takes to the diamond on Wednesday afternoon. Lehigh visits cross-town rival Moravian in a game that gets underway at 3:00.
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
St. Joseph’s | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 1 |
Lehigh | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | X | 14 | 19 | 2 |
WP – Matt Mezzancello, Lehigh (2-0)
LP – Al Braun, St. Joseph’s (0-8)
2B – Lehigh: Jeremy Mack, Forrest Doane; St. Joseph’s: Kevin Dougher
3B – Lehigh: Jeremy Mack; St. Joseph’s: Jason Tarewicz
HR – Lehigh: Jesse Novalis (6), Eric Hoffman (3), Jeff Pietrak (4)
For more information, contact Jeff Tourial, Lehigh Sports Media Relations.
