Lehigh Rallies in Extra Innings to Split Doubleheader at Navy

Saturday, April 14

Annapolis, Md.

12 p.m.

Lehigh University

12-20, 0

United States Naval Academy

26-10, 0

LEHIGH

NAVY

Lehigh Rallies in Extra Innings to Split Doubleheader at Navy

4/14/2018 7:12:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Mountain Hawks responded from a heartbreaking 2-1 walk-off loss in game one with a 7-4 extra-inning victory in game two to earn a doubleheader split on Saturday at Navy.

With the game tied, 4-4, in the 10th inning of game two, Lehigh (13-20, 3-9 PL) compiled three runs in the top half of the frame and held Navy (26-11, 10-6) to just one hit in the bottom half, while Chris Butera recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning and seal the win.

Blake Rapoport came up big in the 10th inning rally as he drove in the go-ahead run and later scored the second run of the inning on a wild pitch. Chris Kersey also came up in the clutch with a two-out RBI single to put the finishing touch on the rally. The senior second baseman finished the game 5-for-6 with a run scored and two RBIs. He now has two five-hit games on the season.

Game two was sent into extras when Navy tallied a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth to even up the score, 4-4. The Mids quickly had two runners in scoring position with just one out. They got one run in on a sacrifice fly to left and produced another run with a single to left before Butera recorded an inning-ending strikeout to leave a runner stranded at second.

Lehigh held a 4-2 lead after four innings of play as James Bleming and Tony Gallo came through with back-to-back RBI singles with two outs in the second inning. Ryan Malloy accounted for the team's next run with a lead-off home in the fourth, while Kersey added an RBI single in the fourth.

Butera earned his first win of the season as he tossed the 1.2 innings in relief. The junior allowed just two hits and recorded three strikeouts in his scoreless outing.

Jason Reynolds earned the start and gave Lehigh 7.2 strong innings in his longest outing the season. The sophomore righty held the league's top offense in check with just two runs on six hits. He racked up four strikeouts and did not surrender a single free base with zero walks and no hit batters.

Game one, which turned out to be the shortest game in Patriot League play this season at one hour and 41 minutes, in large part lived up to the expectations of a pitchers dual as it featured two of the league's top arms in Levi Stoudt and Noah Song. Lehigh rode Stoudt to the end while his counterpart was yanked in the seventh inning as Lehigh had two runners on with just one out. Ultimately, it was the Mids who delivered the final blow and walked off with the win in the bottom of the seventh.

Jared Leins relieved Song in the seventh and retired two-straight batters to leave two runners stranded. Navy began the bottom of the seventh with a lead-off double for the second-straight inning and then quickly had two runners in scoring position with less than two outs. Stoudt battled through a seven-pitch at bat to get a strikeout for the second out of the inning, but it was Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year, Logan Knowles, who delivered the game-winning RBI single to right field.

Stoudt suffered another tough-luck loss as he falls to 2-5 on the season and is still winless in league play. Lehigh's ace held the league's top offense to below its season averages in both runs and hits as he allowed just one earned run on six hits with five strikeouts and one walk in 6.2 innings. He has allowed just one earned run per game in three of his four starts against league opponents while he is averaging over five strikeouts per game in those four starts.

Song earned a no decision in Navy's victory as he allowed one run on five hits with seven strikeouts and four walks in 6.1 innings pitched. After tossing five shutout innings, the big righty struggled in this third time through the Lehigh lineup.

Bleming and Gallo came through with consecutive hits with two outs in the sixth inning to keep the rally alive. Gallo's blow drove in Kersey to put Lehigh on the board and ended Songs run of 24.2 straight innings without allowing a run. In addition to breaking up the shutout streak, the Lehigh offense also recorded the most hits off Song in his last four starts.

On Sunday, Lehigh and Navy will square off in a single game to close out the weekend set. Due to impeding weather, game time has been moved up to 10:30 a.m. The game will still be streamed live for free on the Patriot League Network.