Saturday, April 19
Annapolis, Md.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Navy
Mountain Hawks hit the road to take on Navy in final away league series
4/18/2014 11:03:00 AM | Baseball
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh baseball team will spend its Easter weekend in Annapolis, Md. as the Mountain Hawks take on Navy in a pair of doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. both days of Lehigh's final road league series of the regular season. The Mountain Hawks (18-15, 7-4 PL) look to remain in the top half of the league standings, while Navy (18-22, 4-8 PL) aims to move up from its fourth-place spot. A free video broadcast of Sunday's doubleheader will be available via the Patriot League Network.
Lehigh has won five consecutive league games and seven of its last eight overall. The Mountain Hawks split a midweek doubleheader against UMES following a four-game league sweep of Holy Cross last weekend. It marked Lehigh's first league sweep since 2010. Pitching was strong throughout the entire series and the Mountain Hawk bats broke out in Sunday's games as Lehigh outscored the Crusaders 25-8 over the four-game set. On Saturday, senior Colin Gotzon threw a three-hitter to lead Lehigh to a 1-0 win in the opener, while in the nightcap, seniors Mike Burke and Nick Cassell combined on a four-hitter in a 3-0 Mountain Hawk victory. It marked the first time in program history that Lehigh shut out a Patriot League opponent twice in one day and the first time the Mountain Hawks blanked any team twice in a single day since 1976. The offense heated up on Sunday as Lehigh picked up 6-5 and 15-3 wins over the Crusaders and eight separate Mountain Hawks recorded RBI throughout the day.
The Mountain Hawks are hitting a league-leading .282 as a team, led by junior Justin Pacchioli's mark of .364. Senior Joe Abeln (.316), sophomore Mike Garzillo (.309) and junior Tim McKay (.304) are also hitting above .300, while Abeln leads the team in runs (24) and Garzillo leads the squad in RBI (23). Lehigh features speed on the base paths, averaging 1.58 stolen bases per game, which ranks 40th in the nation. Junior John Elson leads the team with nine stolen bases so far this season.
Lehigh's pitching has been strong as of late, averaging a team ERA of 2.02 over the five-game Patriot League winning streak. Burke (2-2, 3.69 ERA), Gotzon (3-1, 4.45 ERA), junior Nick Stephens (2-3, 4.57 ERA) and sophomore Kevin Long (4-1, 3.12 ERA) were all strong starters for the Mountain Hawks last weekend. Senior relief pitcher Joey McNamara (2-0, 3.00 ERA) has been impressive out of the bullpen, while classmate Nick Cassell's (4-2, 2.86 ERA) six saves are the most in the league. Cassell is one of just ten Division I pitchers in the nation to lead his team in wins and saves.
Navy has split its past two league series, at Lafayette and against Holy Cross, and was swept by Bucknell to begin the league slate. Strong pitching from Anthony Parenti led Navy to a 6-0 win at Lafayette in the first game of the series in Easton last weekend, while the Mids also won the first game of Sunday's doubleheader by a score of 9-8. Navy is 13-10 at home this season, having played far more home games than any other Patriot League squad, compared to the Mids' 4-10 away record.
Robert Currie leads the Mids offensively with a .331 batting average and team-best 32 runs scored, while Kash Manzelli has recorded a squad-high 29 RBI. The Mids are hitting .254 as a team, which ranks fifth in the Patriot League. Navy's team ERA of 3.57 is second in the league and the squad is led by Parenti who holds a 7-2 record and 1.01 ERA. Stephen Moore (2-4, 2.48 ERA), Luke Gillingham (1-4, 3.67 ERA) and George Coughlin (2-4, 4.28 ERA) have also been key pieces in the Mids' rotation. Andrew Bartek (2-0, 2.11 ERA) leads the team with three saves.
Following this weekend's series, the Mountain Hawks will head to Coppin State and host Seton Hall in midweek action before hosting rival Lafayette on Saturday and Sunday in the final regular season league series.
Like Lehigh baseball on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh baseball team will spend its Easter weekend in Annapolis, Md. as the Mountain Hawks take on Navy in a pair of doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. both days of Lehigh's final road league series of the regular season. The Mountain Hawks (18-15, 7-4 PL) look to remain in the top half of the league standings, while Navy (18-22, 4-8 PL) aims to move up from its fourth-place spot. A free video broadcast of Sunday's doubleheader will be available via the Patriot League Network.
Lehigh has won five consecutive league games and seven of its last eight overall. The Mountain Hawks split a midweek doubleheader against UMES following a four-game league sweep of Holy Cross last weekend. It marked Lehigh's first league sweep since 2010. Pitching was strong throughout the entire series and the Mountain Hawk bats broke out in Sunday's games as Lehigh outscored the Crusaders 25-8 over the four-game set. On Saturday, senior Colin Gotzon threw a three-hitter to lead Lehigh to a 1-0 win in the opener, while in the nightcap, seniors Mike Burke and Nick Cassell combined on a four-hitter in a 3-0 Mountain Hawk victory. It marked the first time in program history that Lehigh shut out a Patriot League opponent twice in one day and the first time the Mountain Hawks blanked any team twice in a single day since 1976. The offense heated up on Sunday as Lehigh picked up 6-5 and 15-3 wins over the Crusaders and eight separate Mountain Hawks recorded RBI throughout the day.
The Mountain Hawks are hitting a league-leading .282 as a team, led by junior Justin Pacchioli's mark of .364. Senior Joe Abeln (.316), sophomore Mike Garzillo (.309) and junior Tim McKay (.304) are also hitting above .300, while Abeln leads the team in runs (24) and Garzillo leads the squad in RBI (23). Lehigh features speed on the base paths, averaging 1.58 stolen bases per game, which ranks 40th in the nation. Junior John Elson leads the team with nine stolen bases so far this season.
Lehigh's pitching has been strong as of late, averaging a team ERA of 2.02 over the five-game Patriot League winning streak. Burke (2-2, 3.69 ERA), Gotzon (3-1, 4.45 ERA), junior Nick Stephens (2-3, 4.57 ERA) and sophomore Kevin Long (4-1, 3.12 ERA) were all strong starters for the Mountain Hawks last weekend. Senior relief pitcher Joey McNamara (2-0, 3.00 ERA) has been impressive out of the bullpen, while classmate Nick Cassell's (4-2, 2.86 ERA) six saves are the most in the league. Cassell is one of just ten Division I pitchers in the nation to lead his team in wins and saves.
Navy has split its past two league series, at Lafayette and against Holy Cross, and was swept by Bucknell to begin the league slate. Strong pitching from Anthony Parenti led Navy to a 6-0 win at Lafayette in the first game of the series in Easton last weekend, while the Mids also won the first game of Sunday's doubleheader by a score of 9-8. Navy is 13-10 at home this season, having played far more home games than any other Patriot League squad, compared to the Mids' 4-10 away record.
Robert Currie leads the Mids offensively with a .331 batting average and team-best 32 runs scored, while Kash Manzelli has recorded a squad-high 29 RBI. The Mids are hitting .254 as a team, which ranks fifth in the Patriot League. Navy's team ERA of 3.57 is second in the league and the squad is led by Parenti who holds a 7-2 record and 1.01 ERA. Stephen Moore (2-4, 2.48 ERA), Luke Gillingham (1-4, 3.67 ERA) and George Coughlin (2-4, 4.28 ERA) have also been key pieces in the Mids' rotation. Andrew Bartek (2-0, 2.11 ERA) leads the team with three saves.
Following this weekend's series, the Mountain Hawks will head to Coppin State and host Seton Hall in midweek action before hosting rival Lafayette on Saturday and Sunday in the final regular season league series.
Like Lehigh baseball on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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