Tuesday, March 22
3 p.m.
Lehigh University
6-11
10
vs
5
NYIT
7-10
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8
9
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H
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NYIT
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Lehigh
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4
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10
11
0
Lehigh captures 10-5 win over NYIT in midweek action
3/22/2016 6:39:00 PM | Baseball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh baseball team broke a 2-2 tie with a four-run sixth inning before adding four runs in the final two frames en route to a 10-5 win over NYIT Tuesday afternoon at Legacy Park. Sophomore starter Sam Ashey earned the win on the mound after hurling six two-run innings, while five different Mountain Hawks knocked in runs. Lehigh improves to 6-11 overall and 3-1 in its last four games, while NYIT falls to 7-10 on the season.
"We had a great starting performance from Sam Ashey today," said head coach Sean Leary. "He was just pumping the zone and getting a lot of quick outs and he gave our team a chance to win. I thought we executed small ball pretty well today and it was important to get a home win coming off Spring Break."
Junior Jacen Nalesnik led the team with three RBI, two runs scored and a home run to go along with his 2-for-5 showing at the plate. Senior Mike Garzillo went 3-for-4, while senior Mackey Price and sophomore Stephen Fitzgerald both recorded two RBI.
The Bears opened the game with back-to-back singles in the top of the first, but a caught stealing and pair of strikeouts from Ashey kept the game scoreless. For the third time in as many games, Nalesnik smoked a leadoff home run, this time over the right center fence, to open the bottom of the first and quickly put the Mountain Hawks ahead 1-0.
The Mountain Hawks scattered two hits in the next two frames off NYIT starter Frank Valentino before junior Connor Donovan took first on a Bears error to begin the bottom of the fourth. Price and Fitzgerald took bases on balls before Nalesnik drew an RBI walk to add a Lehigh run and put the score at 2-0.
Following the first frame, Ashey allowed just one hit in his next four innings of work until a one-out walk was followed by an RBI double from Anthony Martelli and RBI single from Louis Mele to help NYIT tie the game at 2-2 in the top of the sixth.
Lehigh answered in the bottom half of the frame as a pair of hit by pitches and a wild pitch put Mountain Hawks on second and third with one out. Fitzgerald laid down a perfect bunt to help Lehigh execute a squeeze as Price slid safely into home. Nalesnik followed with a single through the left side to score sophomore Ryan Bonshak before an RBI groundout from junior David Young put Lehigh ahead 5-2. Garzillo then got caught in a rundown, allowing Nalesnik to sneak home and give the Mountain Hawks a 6-2 advantage through six innings.
Ashey's strong outing came to a close after surrendering a leadoff single in the top of the seventh as sophomore Mark Washington came on in relief. Ashey finished with a line of two runs on six hits with six strikeouts in a full six innings of work. The Mountain Hawks added another run in the bottom of the seventh as Donovan and Price were hit by pitches before sophomore Chris Kersey singled up the middle and Fitzgerald drew an RBI walk to make it 7-2 Mountain Hawks.
Washington fired a scoreless top of the eighth before an RBI base hit from Donovan and two-run double from Price helped Lehigh run the score up to 10-2 in the bottom of the frame. The Bears were able to plate three runs in the top of the ninth, but it was too little, too late as Lehigh captured the 10-5 win.
The Mountain Hawks remain home Wednesday to host Penn at 3:30 p.m. at Legacy Park, with streaming video available on the Patriot League Network.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ashey, Sam (2-2)
L: Valentino,Frank (0-4)
Batting:
2B: Joannou,Thomas 1 ; Martelli,Anthony 1 ; Mele,Louis 1
RBI: Daru,Joe 1 ; Joannou,Thomas 2 ; Martelli,Anthony 1 ; Mele,Louis 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Daru,Joe 1 ; Joannou,Thomas 1 ; Martelli,Anthony 1 ; Sanacore,Frank 1 ; DeAngelis,Matthew 1
CS: Daru,Joe 1
Batting:
2B: Price, Mackey 1
HR: Nalesnik, Jacen 1
RBI: Nalesnik, Jacen 3 ; Young, David 1 ; Donovan, Connor 1 ; Price, Mackey 2 ; Fitzgerald, Stephen 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Nalesnik, Jacen 2 ; Young, David 1 ; Garzillo, Mike 1 ; Donnelly, Patrick 1 ; Donovan, Connor 2 ; Price, Mackey 1 ; Bonshak, Ryan 1 ; Fitzgerald, Stephen 1
SB: Garzillo, Mike 1 ; Fitzgerald, Stephen 1
CS: Garzillo, Mike 1
HBP: Donovan, Connor 1 ; Price, Mackey 2 ; Kersey, Chris 1 ; Bonshak, Ryan 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
0
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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