Friday, March 13
Port Charlotte, Fla.
10:30 a.m.
Lehigh University
6
vs
13
Seton Hall
Mountain Hawks fall to Seton Hall and Western Michigan
3/13/2015 5:11:00 PM | Baseball
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The Lehigh baseball team lost a close 4-3 battle against Western Michigan Friday afternoon at the Snowbird Classic in the nightcap of a non-traditional doubleheader after falling 13-6 to Seton Hall in the day's opener.
Senior Justin Pacchioli led Lehigh offensively, going 4-for-7 at the plate in the two games combined with four runs scored and a solo home run.
Western Michigan scored the first two runs of the day's second game following a two-run double off the bat of Kurt Hoekstra. The Mountain Hawks answered in the top of the fourth inning as Pacchioli led off the frame with a single before sophomore Jacen Nalesnik put down a bunt and a Broncos throwing error allowed Pacchioli to score Lehigh's first run.
Hoekstra struck again in the fifth inning, this time with a two-run triple that gave the Broncos a 4-1 advantage. Pacchioli smacked his second home run of the season in the sixth inning to pull the Mountain Hawks within two at 4-2. Senior Nick Stephens took over on the mound in the seventh inning in relief of classmate Nick Macaione who finished with a line of four runs, three earned, on seven hits in 6.1 innings.
Stephens kept the Broncos off the board before Pacchioli was hit by a pitch to open the eighth inning. Junior Mike Garzillo followed with a double to score Pacchioli and narrow the Western Michigan lead to 4-3. Stephens sat the Broncos down in order in the bottom of the eighth, but Western Michigan closer Gabe Berman did the same in the top of the ninth to secure the 4-3 win for the Broncos.
Western Michigan starter Chad Mayle earned the win on the mound, while Macaione suffered the loss.
Seton Hall was hot to start the day's first game, scoring ten runs through the first three innings to take a 10-0 lead. The Mountain Hawks got to Seton Hall starter Zach Prendergast in the fourth inning as Garzillo was hit by a pitch before classmate Anthony Rinaldi singled through the left side. Sophomore David Young followed with another base hit through the left side to score Garzillo before a Pirate error helped Rinaldi cross the plate.
Senior Tim McKay led off the fifth inning with a single to center before Pacchioli roped a double to left. An RBI groundout from Garzillo scored the inning's first run before a Rinaldi base hit added another. Young followed with another single before a Seton Hall error allowed Rinaldi to score for the second-straight inning. A two-out RBI single to center field off the bat of Garzillo added another Mountain Hawk run in the sixth as Lehigh was able to cut the Seton Hall lead to 10-6.
Freshman reliever Mark Washington put together an impressive outing, holding the Pirates to just one run on three hits in three innings of work as Lehigh was able to claw its way back into the game. Classmate Michael Schwab took over in the seventh as the Pirates held an 11-6 lead after adding a run in the bottom half of the sixth. Seton Hall was able to score two runs in the eighth while the Pirates' Anthony Elia closed the game on the mound to secure a 13-6 final.
Lehigh junior starter Kevin Long suffered the loss after allowing six runs, only four of which were earned, on four hits in one inning of work. Prendergast earned the victory.
The Mountain Hawks wrap up their Spring Break trip at the Snowbird Classic Saturday morning against Georgetown. First pitch is set for 11 a.m.
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