Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks closing in on title
5/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
of The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM
Two weeks of practicing fundamentals fueled a 17-hit outburst and coupled with Kyle Collina's dominating pitching enabled the Mountain Hawks to beat Bucknell 14-2 in Game 1 of the Patriot League best-of-three championship series Saturday at Lehigh's Goodman Campus field.
First pitch for Game 2 between top-seeded Lehigh and the second-seeded Bison is 11 a.m. today, followed by Game 3 if necessary.
"It was a total team effort, and we know it's not going to be as easy tomorrow," Lehigh coach Sean Leary said.
Bucknell advanced to the championship series by rallying from a 6-0 deficit to defeat No. 3 Lafayette 10-6 in the elimination game earlier in the afternoon.
The Bison had no answers for Lehigh once Collina got in a groove after a one hour, 25 minute rain delay prior to the beginning of the second inning.
Every Lehigh starter contributed at least one hit and an RBI. First baseman Andrew Smith and second baseman Mike Sandonato each went 3-for-5, and No. 9 hitter Liam O'Connor was 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
O'Connor's at-bats typified Lehigh's approach. His suicide squeeze scored Sandonato to tie the game at 2 in the second inning.
In the third inning, O'Connor grounded out to third but advanced the runner to set up Joe Ercolano's RBI double to up the lead to 6-2.
In the fifth, O'Connor delivered a two-run single for an 8-2 advantage and then blasted a single off the left-field fence in the eighth.
"I'd say more than half of our practices since league play ended were spent on bunting and small ball," said O'Connor, a sophomore shortstop from
Sandonato said the rain delay was to Lehigh's advantage.
"With the wet grass you want them to make plays and coming in to field bunts is the hardest play to make when the grass is wet," Sandonato said.
Sandonato and O'Connor combined for a slick double play to bail out Collina in the second inning after the Bison rallied for two runs. Four batters earlier Sandonato had one-hopped a throw to first base.
"That was huge," Collina said of the inning-ending web gem. "It was a slow roller and Mike made a great play and Liam turned it to end a potential big inning."
After that Collina, a senior right-hander from Notre Dame, was untouchable. He issued a walk to start the third and then retired 18 in a row before leaving at the end of the eighth inning.
Twenty-four hours earlier Collina underwent surgery to remove an abscessed tooth.
"I was at the Red Sox-Yankees game Thursday night and my tooth started bothering me," Collina said. "I've had a lot of injuries from playing so many different sports but this pain was worse than anything I ever had."
When Collina finally located an available oral surgeon he dictated the terms.
"They were supposed to put me under but I said they couldn't because I have to pitch the next day. They gave me Novocain instead," said Collina, who was still sporting a puffy cheek.
Collina struck out nine, walked two and gave up three hits. His fastball was in the high 80s, but he became dominant once he was able to spot his slider in the middle innings.
"Around the fourth inning Kyle really got locked in," Leary said. "That's as good a five innings as I've seen him pitch. It was a pretty courageous effort on a limited amount of sleep."
The Leopards established a 6-0 lead with three in the first, two in the third and one in the fourth. But reliever Ian Rainey entered in the fourth and closed the door on
Gryskevicz's homer was his first of the season and the only homer allowed by
This story originally appeared in the Sunday, May 14, 2006 edition of The Express-Times. Used with permission.
