Saturday, February 16
Durham, N.C.
2 p.m.
Lehigh University
0-2
1
at
8
Duke
2-0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
LEHIGH
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
5
1
Duke
0
4
2
1
0
0
0
1
X
8
10
1
Photo by: Josh Liddick
Mountain Hawks collect five hits in 8-1 defeat at Duke
2/16/2019 8:33:00 PM | Baseball
DURHAM, N.C. — The Lehigh baseball team was looking for offense on Saturday afternoon and they were able to improve a little on their one-hit performance on Friday, but fell to Duke, 8-1 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. With the loss, the Mountain Hawks fall to 0-2 to start the 2019 campaign.
Lehigh got some offense going in the top of the first inning when junior center fielder Mike Maguire had a leadoff double, which ended up being just the start of his very productive day. He walked in the third inning and stole a base and singled in the seventh to finish his 2-for-3 afternoon. The top of the order did the most damage as freshman third baseman Gerard Sweeney notched his first career hit in the seventh inning and also reached base on an error that scored Maguire.
"I would say our top four guys have looked comfortable in the box, they were competitive and Mike just had a really productive day," said head coach Sean Leary. "Everything he did was exactly what our plan was. He worked some counts and he got on base whether it was a double or a walk."
The Mountain Hawks had their best chance to break the game open in the top of the sixth inning when Sweeney singled up the middle to begin their half. Junior first baseman Tony Gallo got the best of a 1-2 pitch, singling to right center to advance Sweeney all the way over to third. After senior catcher Jeff Shanfeldt was a hit by a pitch, Lehigh had the bases loaded with no outs. Unfortunately, two strikeouts and a fielder's choice ended the inning without producing any runs. Gallo's hit in the inning extended his on-base streak to 13 straight games dating back to the end of last season. He also has a hitting streak of four games.
"Tony has had a great approach the entire weekend," Leary said. "It was good to see Gerard get his first knock, hit a ball hard a couple times today. It was really great to see those first four hitters settle in, even Casey (Rother) in the five-hole today."
Freshman designated hitter Casey Rother got Lehigh's fifth and final hit of the ballgame with his well-hit ball that hit the top of the left field wall. He was thrown out at second after trying to get the double. Rother's swing showcased the power potential the Mountain Hawks have, especially playing in parks with a lower left field fence.
The Mountain Hawks' pitching was stellar despite a total of eight runs allowed. Junior right-hander Jason Reynolds threw an excellent game especially in the first inning-and-a-third. Reynolds struck out the first four batters he faced and finished his outing with seven punch-outs. He allowed six runs, all earned on seven hits with three walks in three innings of work.
Freshman lefty Luke Rettig had an exceptional outing in his first appearance as a member of Lehigh's pitching staff. He threw two innings of two-hit ball, allowing one earned run with a walk and three strikeouts on 42 pitches. In addition to Rettig's solid work out of the bullpen, head coach Sean Leary turned to sophomore left-hander Cameron Van Hoorebeke, who dazzled in his three innings of relief. On 53 pitches, Van Hoorebeke struck out four Blue Devils, allowing just one run on one hit without registering an earned run. A combination of Shanfeldt and junior Tim DiLoreto behind the plate was extremely helpful and patient in making sure Duke only was able to get two runs and three hits in five innings of relief.
"I think collectively we're throwing the ball really well this weekend," said Leary. "I think Jason should've came out of here with a no decision the way he was throwing the ball today. I think Luke (Rettig) was outstanding for his first outing, he came out and competed at a high level. Cameron (Van Hoorebeke) was terrific.
"Those two relievers did exactly what we asked and what we needed. I would say that so far, our two starters this weekend have given us a chance. We know that we are going to be a good defensive team, we've just had a couple key moments that we didn't make a play and it's led to some runs but I think Jason and Levi both pitched at a super high level."
For Duke, starting pitcher Bryce Jarvis threw four one-hit innings with nine strikeouts. Jack Carey gave up three hits in three innings of relief, while Ben Gross threw two innings to close out the game, allowing just one hit. Erikson Nichols went 2-for-4 and Chase Cheek went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.
"I want to see our guys continue to make steps forward," said Leary. "And I think our offensive approach will improve. You need at-bats to get a little better, but at the same time tomorrow, we need to get a little bit more comfortable with six guys in different positions defensively. We just need to be a little bit more aggressive on some of the plays that we're not making .
"Big picture is, there have been a lot of positives, it's just tough to be excited when you lose ballgames, but there has still been a lot of positives to look at between the first two days."
The Mountain Hawks have one more shot at getting a victory in Durham Sunday morning at 11 a.m. before heading to Mount St. Mary's next weekend in Emmittsburg, Md. Sophomore right-hander Matt Svanson is scheduled to get the start for Lehigh and will face Duke right-hander Cooper Stinson. The game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Lehigh got some offense going in the top of the first inning when junior center fielder Mike Maguire had a leadoff double, which ended up being just the start of his very productive day. He walked in the third inning and stole a base and singled in the seventh to finish his 2-for-3 afternoon. The top of the order did the most damage as freshman third baseman Gerard Sweeney notched his first career hit in the seventh inning and also reached base on an error that scored Maguire.
"I would say our top four guys have looked comfortable in the box, they were competitive and Mike just had a really productive day," said head coach Sean Leary. "Everything he did was exactly what our plan was. He worked some counts and he got on base whether it was a double or a walk."
The Mountain Hawks had their best chance to break the game open in the top of the sixth inning when Sweeney singled up the middle to begin their half. Junior first baseman Tony Gallo got the best of a 1-2 pitch, singling to right center to advance Sweeney all the way over to third. After senior catcher Jeff Shanfeldt was a hit by a pitch, Lehigh had the bases loaded with no outs. Unfortunately, two strikeouts and a fielder's choice ended the inning without producing any runs. Gallo's hit in the inning extended his on-base streak to 13 straight games dating back to the end of last season. He also has a hitting streak of four games.
"Tony has had a great approach the entire weekend," Leary said. "It was good to see Gerard get his first knock, hit a ball hard a couple times today. It was really great to see those first four hitters settle in, even Casey (Rother) in the five-hole today."
Freshman designated hitter Casey Rother got Lehigh's fifth and final hit of the ballgame with his well-hit ball that hit the top of the left field wall. He was thrown out at second after trying to get the double. Rother's swing showcased the power potential the Mountain Hawks have, especially playing in parks with a lower left field fence.
The Mountain Hawks' pitching was stellar despite a total of eight runs allowed. Junior right-hander Jason Reynolds threw an excellent game especially in the first inning-and-a-third. Reynolds struck out the first four batters he faced and finished his outing with seven punch-outs. He allowed six runs, all earned on seven hits with three walks in three innings of work.
Freshman lefty Luke Rettig had an exceptional outing in his first appearance as a member of Lehigh's pitching staff. He threw two innings of two-hit ball, allowing one earned run with a walk and three strikeouts on 42 pitches. In addition to Rettig's solid work out of the bullpen, head coach Sean Leary turned to sophomore left-hander Cameron Van Hoorebeke, who dazzled in his three innings of relief. On 53 pitches, Van Hoorebeke struck out four Blue Devils, allowing just one run on one hit without registering an earned run. A combination of Shanfeldt and junior Tim DiLoreto behind the plate was extremely helpful and patient in making sure Duke only was able to get two runs and three hits in five innings of relief.
"I think collectively we're throwing the ball really well this weekend," said Leary. "I think Jason should've came out of here with a no decision the way he was throwing the ball today. I think Luke (Rettig) was outstanding for his first outing, he came out and competed at a high level. Cameron (Van Hoorebeke) was terrific.
"Those two relievers did exactly what we asked and what we needed. I would say that so far, our two starters this weekend have given us a chance. We know that we are going to be a good defensive team, we've just had a couple key moments that we didn't make a play and it's led to some runs but I think Jason and Levi both pitched at a super high level."
For Duke, starting pitcher Bryce Jarvis threw four one-hit innings with nine strikeouts. Jack Carey gave up three hits in three innings of relief, while Ben Gross threw two innings to close out the game, allowing just one hit. Erikson Nichols went 2-for-4 and Chase Cheek went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.
"I want to see our guys continue to make steps forward," said Leary. "And I think our offensive approach will improve. You need at-bats to get a little better, but at the same time tomorrow, we need to get a little bit more comfortable with six guys in different positions defensively. We just need to be a little bit more aggressive on some of the plays that we're not making .
"Big picture is, there have been a lot of positives, it's just tough to be excited when you lose ballgames, but there has still been a lot of positives to look at between the first two days."
The Mountain Hawks have one more shot at getting a victory in Durham Sunday morning at 11 a.m. before heading to Mount St. Mary's next weekend in Emmittsburg, Md. Sophomore right-hander Matt Svanson is scheduled to get the start for Lehigh and will face Duke right-hander Cooper Stinson. The game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bryce Jarvis (1-0)
L: Reynolds, Jason (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Maguire, Mike 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Maguire, Mike 1
SB: Maguire, Mike 1
HBP: Shanfeldt, Jeff 1
Batting:
2B: Kennie Taylor 1
RBI: Joey Loperfido 2 ; Kennie Taylor 2 ; Chase Cheek 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Joey Loperfido 1 ; Kyle Gallagher 1 ; Chris Crabtree 1 ; Michael Rothenberg 1 ; Erikson Nichols 1 ; Chase Cheek 1 ; Ethan Murray 1 ; Tyler Wardwell 1
SB: Joey Loperfido 2 ; Kennie Taylor 1 ; Chris Crabtree 1 ; Michael Rothenberg 1
HBP: Kennie Taylor 1 ; Rudy Maxwell 1
PO: Ethan Murray 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ BaseballIF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballC
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball3B
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballBaseball vs. Coppin State
Tuesday, April 29
Baseball vs. Penn
Wednesday, March 19
Baseball vs. UAlbany
Sunday, March 16
Season Preview Baseball
Thursday, February 13
