Saturday, April 13
Goodman Campus
12:00:00 PM
Lehigh University
4
vs
3
Bucknell
Mountain Hawks split pair of one-run games against Bucknell
4/14/2013 1:41:00 AM | Baseball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh baseball team picked up another split in a pair of one run games with a 4-3 win and a tough 7-6 loss in 10 innings versus Patriot League foe Bucknell on Saturday. The Mountain Hawks raised their overall record to 18-17 and Patriot League mark to 5-5, while the Bison are now 10-23 with an identical record in league action.
“I felt like we had three or four chances to extend the lead a little bit, but there wasn't a lack of effort,” Lehigh head coach Sean Leary said after game two. “When you come out and watch our team, you're going to see them battle for 27 outs and I'm disappointed that they couldn't come away with two today.”
Bucknell went deep twice in the first inning of game one off junior Colin Gotzon, as Travis Clark hit a solo home run and Rob Krentzman hit a two run bomb that put the Bison up 3-0. Lehigh held the Bison scoreless for the remainder of the game though.
"It's a tough way to start,” Gotzon said. “You give up two home runs in the first and are down 3-0. The only thing you can think about from where is to keep the team in the game. Big game, coming in 4-4, we need the W. I just refocused and stuck to the scouting report. Joe Abeln called a great game and I was able to get into the sixth inning and keep us right there."The Mountain Hawks got a run back on an RBI groundout from senior Casey Turner that scored sophomore Justin Pacchioli. Junior Brandon Wilt's RBI single in the fourth scored sophomore John Elson, who had reached on an error, and freshman Zach Gray scored on a wild pitch to tie the score at three. Clark's error in the fifth put freshman Mike Garzillo on base and sent junior Joe Abeln home for a 4-3 Lehigh lead.
Senior Tom O'Malley came on to relieve Colin Gotzon in the top of the sixth and got around a leadoff walk and a passed ball to put together 1.1 scoreless innings. The pivotal out came when O'Malley picked off pinch runner Tommy Pennington at second base, then got Corey Furman to fly out to left field to seal the win.
Gotzon picked up his team-leading fifth win of the season and Tom O'Malley earned the four-out save. Bryson Hough took the loss after throwing all six innings for Bucknell. Pacchioli and Abeln each finished 2-for-3 at the plate and scored a run. Bucknell's Carter Bumgardner went 2-for-2 with a run scored.
Junior Nick Cassell kept the game tied in the sixth by getting Rob Scott to ground out to shortstop. After throwing out Anthony Gingerelli at second, the play was ruled an inning-ending double play due to runner interference. The Lehigh offense fed off the defensive momentum to get runs on suicide squeezes from Wilt and sophomore Connor Faust in the sixth and seventh innings, which gave the team a 5-3 advantage.
Bucknell loaded the bases with bloop hits against freshman Kevin Long before O'Malley surrendered a go-ahead three run triple to Ryan Meier that put the Bison on top 6-5. Lehigh battled back one more time when Garzillo drove home Abeln in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI double to tie the game.
Sophomore Jordan Smith gave up two hits to lead off the 10th inning and walked in the deciding run to take the loss. Marcus Garone picked up the win in relief and Max Kra earned the save. Eight different players had hits for the Mountain Hawks, but Garzillo had a game-high three to go along with an RBI and run scored. Scott went 2-for-4 with one RBI and scored two runs.
The Mountain Hawks will host the Bison in a Patriot League doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. Sunday, before hosting Penn at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
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