Sunday, February 23
Davidson, N.C.
10:00 AM
Lehigh University
1-2
5
vs
7
Fairleigh Dickinson
1-2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Lehigh
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
1
5
10
2
Fairleigh Dickinson
0
1
2
0
0
3
1
0
X
7
8
0
Knights come back for 7-5 win over Mountain Hawks
2/23/2014 3:41:00 PM | Baseball
DAVIDSON, N.C. – A late rally wasn't enough as the Lehigh baseball team dropped a 7-5 contest to Fairleigh Dickinson in Sunday's weekend finale. For the second-straight game, Lehigh put up four runs in the fourth inning, but this time the Knights were able to come back and grab the victory. The Mountain Hawks finished their weekend road trip with a 1-2 record, while Fairleigh Dickinson claimed its first win of the season.
"We did a lot of good things this weekend, but just didn't maximize on our opportunities the way that we'll need to in the future," said head coach Sean Leary. "We did see a lot of improvement and this is a weekend we can build on going forward."
Sophomore Mike Garzillo led the Mountain Hawks offensively with a pair of doubles that drove in two runs. The Wind Gap, Pa. native also helped the Mountain Hawks turn a rare triple play in the fourth inning. Freshman Connor Donovan finished his collegiate debut with a pair of RBI and a double in his three at bats. Junior John Elson had a two-for-five showing at the plate.
A sacrifice fly from Fairleigh Dickinson's Ryan McGrath put the Knights on the board in the bottom of the second inning before a double down the left field line in the third drove home two more Knights as FDU took a 3-0 lead heading into the fourth.
Elson roped a leadoff single up the middle in the fourth before classmate Connor Faust was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. With runners on the corners and one out, two batters later, Donovan smacked a double to right center to score Elson and freshman Jacen Nalesnik. Following an Anthony Rinaldi walk, FDU's starting pitcher, Joe Flack, was bumped from the game, but the Mountain Hawks wouldn't let up. Garzillo sent a two-out shot to right center to score Rinaldi and Donovan as Lehigh wrapped up the fourth inning with a 4-3 lead.
With sophomore Brandon Kulp on the mound in relief of starter Nick Macaione, the Knights put two on base with no outs in the bottom of the fourth before Garzillo caught a line drive and doubled-up the runners on first and second to turn a triple play and end the inning.
A trio of singles and a Lehigh throwing error led to three runs for the Knights in the sixth frame before Elson turned a double play to get Lehigh out of the inning trailing 6-4. FDU's Matt McCann stole second after drawing a walk in the seventh and later scored on a sacrifice fly to plate the final run for the Knights.
Garzillo led off the top of the ninth with a double to center field before advancing to third on a passed ball. FDU's closer Jordan Snyder fanned the next two Mountain Hawks before Elson singled to center to score Garzillo and put the score at 7-5, but a Lehigh ground-out ended the inning as the Mountain Hawks suffered their second loss of the season.
Kulp suffered the loss after allowing two earned runs on three hits in 2.1 innings of work, while FDU's relief pitcher Joe Borelli was credited with the win. Macaione threw 2.2 innings, striking out two while surrendering three hits and three earned runs. Flack, the Knights' starter, gave up four runs on four hits in 3.1 innings.
The Mountain Hawks will travel to Seton Hall Wednesday for a 3 p.m. game before embarking on a spring break trip to Port Charlotte, Fla. on March 1 to play six games in five days.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: BORELLI (1-0)
L: Kulp, Brandon (0-1)
S: SNYDER (1)
Batting:
2B: Garzillo, Mike 2 ; Donovan, Connor 1
RBI: Garzillo, Mike 2 ; Elson, John 1 ; Donovan, Connor 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Garzillo, Mike 1 ; Elson, John 1 ; Nalesnik, Jacen 1 ; Donovan, Connor 1 ; Rinaldi, Anthony 1
SB: Pacchioli, Justin 1
HBP: Faust, Connor 1 ; Donovan, Connor 1
Batting:
2B: GIAKAS 1
RBI: GIAKAS 2 ; McCLURE 1 ; BRENNAN 1 ; McGRATH 1 ; TONDI 1
SH: McCANN 1 ; SPRAGUE 1
SF: McCLURE 1 ; McGRATH 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McCANN 1 ; MOONAN 1 ; GIAKAS 1 ; DeLEON 1 ; SPRAGUE 1 ; BRENNAN 1 ; ROMAN 1
SB: McCANN 1 ; SIEBLER 1
HBP: BRENNAN 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
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