Lehigh Evens Up Season Series with Lafayette After Convincing Midweek Win

Tuesday, April 10

Easton, Pa.

3:30 p.m.

Lehigh University

12-18, 2-8

Lafayette College

12-20, 2-8

Lehigh

Lafayette

Lehigh Evens Up Season Series with Lafayette After Convincing Midweek Win

4/10/2018 8:16:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

EASTON, Pa. – The Mountain Hawks evened up the season series with rival Layette at two games apiece with a strong all-around effort in a 7-1 victory on Wednesday evening.

Lehigh (12-18, 2-8) stifled the Lafayette (12-20, 2-9) offense with a strong combined pitching performance from beginning to end, while the offense relieved the pressure off the arms by scoring in four of the first five innings.

The Lehigh pitching staff nearly combined for their second no-hitter of the season as they held Lafayette to just one hit on the day, which matches the season-low for the Leopards. The LU arms also held Luke Robinson, one of the Patriot League's top offensive threats, to a 0-for-3 performance on the day.

Fifth-year senior Matt Kozemchak made his second start of the season and set the tone as he recorded back-to-back strikeouts to leave two runners stranded in the first inning. Kozemchak went on to toss 2.0 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed and a pair of strikeouts as he has yet to allow a run this season.

Peter Woltersdorf entered in the third inning and earned the win, his third of the season, as he tossed 3.2 no-hit innings with three strikeouts. The freshman has allowed just one hit and one run in the last 10.1 innings as he owns a 0.87 ERA on the season.

Junior Ethan Frohman relieved Woltersdorf in the sixth inning and earned his league-leading fourth save of the season as he tossed the final 3.1 innings. Frohman allowed just one batter to reach base with a walk in an otherwise flawless performance and matched his season-high with five strikeouts.

The Mountain Hawks went to work offensively early and often as they put the lead-off man on in three of the first four innings. LU got things rolling in the first inning as Tony Gallo singled on a bunt up the first baseline to bring home Chris Kersey from third and Ryan Bonshak also scored on the play on an error by the first baseman. Lehigh relied on the small ball in the first inning as James Bleming put Kersey and Bonshak in scoring position with a sacrifice bunt prior to Gallo's single.

Gallo was at it again in the third inning with a single up the middle to drive in Kersey who led off the inning with a double deep to center field. LU loaded the bases in the fourth inning and managed to get a pair of runs in with a sacrifice fly by Matt Hand and a RBI single up the middle by Tyler Schreiner.

Lehigh then made it four-straight innings with a run scored as Blake Rapoport delivered a RBI single in a pinch-hit at bat in the fifth inning. Woltersdorf capped off the fifth inning by retiring three-straight batters for the second-straight inning.

Lehigh tacked on another run for good measure in the eighth as Hand successfully executed a squeeze play to bring Schreiner home from third. Hand reached first safely on a throwing error by Lafayette pitcher Kyle Johnson who's throw hit Hand in the back on the way to first.

Frohman sealed the win as he retired the last six-straight batters he faced, including a trio of strikeouts.

After snapping their six-game skid, the Mountain Hawks will look to carry the momentum from Tuesday's win into Wednesday where they return home to face Delaware in the Liberty Bell Classic Semifinals. The winner of Wednesday's game advances to the championship game at Citizens Bank Park on next Tuesday where they will face Lafayette.