Lehigh University Athletics
Tuesday, April 4
Bethlehem, PA
3 p.m.
Lehigh University
vs
Rider University
Mountain Hawks Set for Home and Away Midweek Action
4/3/2017 3:06:00 PM | Baseball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – After dropping four out its last six games, the Lehigh baseball team will look to get back on track this week against Rider on Tuesday and New York Institute of Technology on Wednesday. The Mountain Hawks will host Rider in round two of the Liberty Bell Classic. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. and Wednesday's game against NYIT is set for a 3:30 p.m. start.
Lehigh (9-16) lost its opening Patriot League series to Bucknell, dropping three out of four including, an 8-0 loss in the final game of the series. The Mountain Hawks struggled to get anything going offensively on Sunday, combining for just two runs in Sunday's doubleheader. Senior David Young was a bright spot offensively as he went 3-for-5 from the plate on Sunday to go along with one RBI.
Lehigh's one victory came in dominating fashion as the Mountain Hawks slugged out 10 runs behind the bat of sophomore Ryan Malloy. Malloy went 2-for-4 with a homer, a game-high three RBI and a game-high three runs scored. Freshman Jason Reynolds pitched a strong 5.1 innings as he allowed just two runs and picking up the win in Lehigh's 10-2 win.
Rider enters Tuesday's matchup with a 9-14 record. The Broncs ended a five-game skid with a victory against conference foe Iona on Sunday. Rider lost in round one of the Liberty Classic to Delaware by a score of 21-6.
Rider leads the all-time series with a 36-14 record against the Mountain Hawks. The Broncs defeated Lehigh 10-9 in 10 innings in the first of two meetings last spring. The Mountain Hawks responded with a 9-8 extra-inning victory a week later.
Kyle Johnson anchors the offense for Rider as he has a team-high 30 hits and has accumulated a .323 batting average. Johnson also has a team-high six doubles. Tyler Kaiser leads the team in RBIs with 17 and is sitting at an even .300 batting average on the year. On the mound, the Broncs are led by Nick Margevicius. In six starts, he owns a 2-1 mark with a 2.58 ERA. In his 38.1 innings of work, he has struck out 32 batters.
NYIT will come into Wednesday with a 2-19-1 mark. The Bears have gone winless in their last nine games including a 5-5 tie against Siena last Saturday. NYIT's two wins on the year have come against Albany and Sacred Heart.
Louis Mele is the team's best bat as he leads the team in batting average (.304), on-base percentage (.400) and hits (21). Frank Valentino is the ace of the pitching staff. In 41.2 innings and six starts, Valentino has allowed 21 earned runs and struck out 30 batters.
Last year, Lehigh and NYIT faced off for the first and second time in each program's history. The Mountain Hawks took both games with a 16-5 victory in the first meeting and a 10-5 victory in the second matchup.
Following the midweek battles, Lehigh will return to Patriot League play when the Mountain Hawks hit the road to take on Holy Cross for a four-game set starting on Saturday. Lehigh will play a doubleheader on Saturday slated for a 2 p.m. start and will close out the series with another doubleheader on Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
Preview written by Zion Olojede '18
Lehigh (9-16) lost its opening Patriot League series to Bucknell, dropping three out of four including, an 8-0 loss in the final game of the series. The Mountain Hawks struggled to get anything going offensively on Sunday, combining for just two runs in Sunday's doubleheader. Senior David Young was a bright spot offensively as he went 3-for-5 from the plate on Sunday to go along with one RBI.
Lehigh's one victory came in dominating fashion as the Mountain Hawks slugged out 10 runs behind the bat of sophomore Ryan Malloy. Malloy went 2-for-4 with a homer, a game-high three RBI and a game-high three runs scored. Freshman Jason Reynolds pitched a strong 5.1 innings as he allowed just two runs and picking up the win in Lehigh's 10-2 win.
Rider enters Tuesday's matchup with a 9-14 record. The Broncs ended a five-game skid with a victory against conference foe Iona on Sunday. Rider lost in round one of the Liberty Classic to Delaware by a score of 21-6.
Rider leads the all-time series with a 36-14 record against the Mountain Hawks. The Broncs defeated Lehigh 10-9 in 10 innings in the first of two meetings last spring. The Mountain Hawks responded with a 9-8 extra-inning victory a week later.
Kyle Johnson anchors the offense for Rider as he has a team-high 30 hits and has accumulated a .323 batting average. Johnson also has a team-high six doubles. Tyler Kaiser leads the team in RBIs with 17 and is sitting at an even .300 batting average on the year. On the mound, the Broncs are led by Nick Margevicius. In six starts, he owns a 2-1 mark with a 2.58 ERA. In his 38.1 innings of work, he has struck out 32 batters.
NYIT will come into Wednesday with a 2-19-1 mark. The Bears have gone winless in their last nine games including a 5-5 tie against Siena last Saturday. NYIT's two wins on the year have come against Albany and Sacred Heart.
Louis Mele is the team's best bat as he leads the team in batting average (.304), on-base percentage (.400) and hits (21). Frank Valentino is the ace of the pitching staff. In 41.2 innings and six starts, Valentino has allowed 21 earned runs and struck out 30 batters.
Last year, Lehigh and NYIT faced off for the first and second time in each program's history. The Mountain Hawks took both games with a 16-5 victory in the first meeting and a 10-5 victory in the second matchup.
Following the midweek battles, Lehigh will return to Patriot League play when the Mountain Hawks hit the road to take on Holy Cross for a four-game set starting on Saturday. Lehigh will play a doubleheader on Saturday slated for a 2 p.m. start and will close out the series with another doubleheader on Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
Preview written by Zion Olojede '18
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