Saturday, May 9
12 p.m.
Lehigh University
22-25
6
vs
2
No. 3 Holy Cross
23-25
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Holy Cross
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
2
6
0
Lehigh
1
1
1
2
0
0
0
1
X
6
10
0
Semifinal doubleheader split with Holy Cross sends series to decisive game three Sunday
5/9/2015 6:11:00 PM | Baseball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh baseball team scored in five innings of game one of the Patriot League semifinal series against Holy Cross Saturday to back the strong pitching performances of juniors Kevin Long and Kevin Boswick as the Mountain Hawks captured a 6-2 game-one win at Legacy Park. Lehigh trailed the Crusdaers 4-2 in the nightcap before rallying to tie the game at four in the top of the ninth, but a Holy Cross home run helped the Crusaders walk off with a 7-4 victory to send the semifinal series to a decisive game three Sunday.
"We fought hard all day, we just came up short in the last inning," said head coach Sean Leary. "Our guys had a great effort for 18 innings and I give Holy Cross credit for coming up with a clutch hit in the bottom of the ninth. I wouldn't change anything that we did today and I know we'll come out ready tomorrow."
Sophomore Patrick Donnelly went 4-for-8 with an RBI in the two games combined, while senior Justin Pacchioli went 3-for-6 with a pair of stolen bases, RBI and run scored. Senior Patrick Walshe hit two home runs in game one, while freshman James Bleming recorded his first career dinger in game two. Sophomore Jacen Nalesnik was 3-for-8 with a team-best three RBI. Long earned the win in game one, while Boswick picked up the save.
The Mountain Hawks struck right away in the bottom of the first inning in the day's first game when Pacchioli sent a single to right before stealing second and moving to third on a deep fly ball to right off the bat of Nalesnik. Junior Mike Garzillo followed with an RBI groundout to score Pacchioli and give Lehigh a 1-0 lead through one.
Walshe doubled Lehigh's lead in the second inning when he sent his fifth home run of the season over the left center fence. The Mountain Hawks added a run in the third when Bleming led off the frame with a bunt single before moving to second on a Pacchioli sacrifice bunt. Following a flyout and a walk, Donnelly sent a two-out single to left to plate Bleming and give Lehigh a 3-0 lead through three.
The Mountain Hawks scored again in the fourth inning when Walshe drew a leadoff walk before a bunt single from senior Connor Faust and a sacrifice bunt from senior Tim McKay put runners on second and third with no outs. Two batters later, Nalesnik ripped a single up the middle to score Faust and McKay and extend Lehigh's lead to 5-0.
Long walked the first two Crusaders of the game, but retired the next 13 in order as he kept Holy Cross hitless until the fifth inning when back-to-back doubles from Bill Schlich and Alex Voitik plated the first Crusader run. Long remained in the game until there were two outs in the sixth inning when Boswick took over and recorded the final out of the inning by way of strikeout. Long finished with an impressive line of one run on three hits with four strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work.
Walshe's second home run of the day, a solo shot over the right field fence, extended Lehigh's lead to 6-1 in the eighth inning. Boswick limited the Crusaders to just one hit in the seventh and eighth. Holy Cross added a run in the top of the ninth, but Boswick was able to secure his third save of the season to help Lehigh to the 6-2 game-one win.
Holy Cross, the designated home team in game two, struck first in the nightcap when Nick Lovullo sent a leadoff solo home run over the left field fence to give Holy Cross an early 1-0 lead. Three walks loaded the bases, but senior starter J.R. Edwards limited the damage and didn't allow any more runs to cross the plate. Louvello sent another solo shot over the left field fence with two outs in the second to extend the Holy Cross advantage to 2-0.
Lehigh scattered three hits through the first three innings, but wasn't able to score on Holy Cross starter Brendan King. Senior Nick Macaione took the mound in the bottom of the third inning in relief of Edwards and kept the Crusaders off the board through the fourth.
Walshe continued his hot hitting with a leadoff base hit to left in the fifth. Two batters later, Bleming hit his first career home run to dead center to tie the game at two.
The Crusaders were able to retake a two-run lead in the bottom of the fifth with the help of an RBI infield single from Anthony Critelli and a Lehigh throwing error. Macaione limited the Crusaders to just one hit in the next three innings as the game went into the top of the ninth inning with Holy Cross ahead 4-2.
With one out in the ninth, Holy Cross reliever Sean Gustin plunked back-to-back Mountain Hawks. Following a strikeout, Pacchioli sent a single to center to score Faust before Nalesnik took the first pitch of his at bat and sent a game-tying base hit to left to score pinch hitter John Scarr and tie the game at four.
Senior Jordan Smith took the mound in the bottom of the ninth and struck out the first batter he faced before issuing a walk. A flyout was followed by a single up the middle before Critelli sent a walk-off, three-run home run over the left field fence and the Crusaders grabbed a 7-4 win to send the series to a decisive game three Sunday.
Lehigh and Holy Cross meet Sunday at 1 p.m. at Legacy Park. The winner of the decisive game three goes on to face the winner of Navy/Lafayette in the Patriot League Championship series.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Sean Gustin (3-1)
L: Smith, Jordan (2-1)
Batting:
HR: Bleming, James 1
RBI: Pacchioli, Justin 1 ; Nalesnik, Jacen 1 ; Bleming, James 2
SH: Elson, John 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Walshe, Patrick 1 ; Faust, Connor 1 ; Scarr, John 1 ; Bleming, James 1
HBP: Pacchioli, Justin 1 ; Garzillo, Mike 1 ; Faust, Connor 1 ; Scarr, John 1
Batting:
HR: Nick Lovullo 2 ; Anthony Critelli 1
RBI: Nick Lovullo 2 ; Anthony Critelli 4
SH: Jack StClair 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nick Lovullo 3 ; Evan Ocello 1 ; Jack StClair 1 ; Anthony Critelli 2
SB: Evan Ocello 1
HBP: Connor Perry 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
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