Wednesday, April 3
Philadelphia, Pa.
3 p.m.
Lehigh University
12-16
20
at
15
Saint Joseph's
12-14
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6
7
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9
10
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H
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Lehigh
0
0
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7
1
0
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21
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Saint Joseph's
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1
0
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15
19
4
Photo by: Brent Hugo
Offense leads Lehigh to all-time comeback and stuns SJU, 20-15 in 10 innings
4/3/2019 9:55:00 PM | Baseball
11-run deficit marks Mountain Hawks' largest comeback in Patriot League era
PHILADELPHIA — It was another offensive game for the ages on Wednesday afternoon for Lehigh baseball, as the Mountain Hawks' offense went off for 20 runs on 21 hits to rally back from a deficit of 11-0 after two innings, knocking off Saint Joseph's 20-15 in 10 innings at Smithson Field.
The 11-run comeback is Lehigh's largest in the Patriot League era and one of, if not the largest comeback from a deficit in Lehigh baseball's 133-year history.
The Mountain Hawks' starting pitching struggled once again against non-league batting, as Cameron Van Hoorebeke allowed eight earned runs on six hits with three walks in 1 1/3 innings of work, while Sam Wurth gave up four earned runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings, as Saint Joseph's took an early 11-0 lead after two innings.
In the top of the third inning, junior Matt Hand finally put Lehigh on the scoreboard with a two-RBI double, scoring Tony Gallo and Jeff Shanfeldt to cut the deficit to 11-2. In the same inning, Casey Rother reached on a throwing error, scoring Hand to make it 11-3.
In the top of the fourth inning, Shanfeldt came through with a single through the right side, scoring Thomas Schumacher to make it 11-4. Tony Gallo's sacrifice-fly scored Joe Gorla to make it 11-4.
After giving up four straight Lehigh runs, SJU got another run across with an RBI single to make it a 12-5 ballgame.
The Mountain Hawks continued the scoring onslaught in the top of the fifth inning, as Quinn McKenna doubled to right field, scoring Hand to make it 12-6. Schumacher, the very next batter, also doubled to right center field scoring both McKenna and Rother to cut the deficit to just four runs, now a 12-8 game.
Still in the fifth, Shanfeldt's double down the left field line was hit hard enough with some carry to get the two runs in as both Mike Maguire and Schumacher scored, getting the score to 12-10.
Senior Ryan Malloy followed that up with a single to first base, scoring Shanfeldt, as Gallo advanced to second and then third on a throwing error. This made the game 12-11.
Matt Hand's SAC-fly to left field scored Gallo to help Lehigh complete the comeback in the fifth inning, tying the game at 12. That capped a seven run inning for the Mountain Hawks.
In the top of the sixth inning, Lehigh took its first lead of the game, as Gallo was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Schumacher to give the Mountain Hawks a 13-12 lead.
Saint Joe's took a lead back in the bottom of the seventh after a double scored two runs.
In the top of the eighth inning, Hand came through in the clutch once again with an RBI single, scoring Gallo to tie the game at 14. This sent the ballgame into extra innings, Lehigh's fifth such game this season so far.
Lehigh took over absolute control in the top of the 10th inning, making sure the game didn't progress even further as a Tony Gallo triple scored Shanfeldt to take a 15-14 lead. Matt Hand singled through the right side, scoring Gallo and then Chase Carlson reached on a throwing error by the pitcher, allowing both Hand and Malloy to score to make it an 18-14 game. To add insult to injury, Shanfeldt capped the Mountain Hawks' scoring for the afternoon with a single through the left side, scoring both McKenna and Carlson to make it a 20-14 game.
Saint Joseph's added a run in the bottom of the 10th inning, but Lehigh held on for the insane, 20-15 non-league road win.
"We've been struggling a bit lately and then we fell into a huge deficit to start this game," said head coach Sean Leary. "We could have easily 'mailed it in' but instead our seniors stepped up after the second inning and challenged the team to fight back and the team responded and began chipping away at the lead."
Shanfeldt continued to rake for the Mountain Hawks, going 4-for-5 with a double, three runs scored, five RBIs and two walks. With his performance, Shanfeldt ups his batting average to a .347 mark on the season. The game is his third straight multi-hit game and the second game this season with five or more RBIs in one game.
Tony Gallo returned to the starting lineup by posting a 4-for-6 afternoon with a triple, four runs scored and three RBIs. Matt Hand went 3-for-5 with a double, a walk, three runs scored and five RBIs.
"Shanfeldt, Hand and Gallo all had enormous days for us but in the end, everyone in the lineup contributed to this amazing comeback," said Leary. "I am so proud of all our guys."
Freshman Matt Stamford had a dominant outing on the mound in relief, allowing just two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts in three innings of relief. In addition to an unbelievable offensive afternoon, Hand (2-1) also picked up the win on the mound, throwing the final three innings, allowing just one earned run on three hits with a strikeout.
"Matt Stamford really changed the momentum for us on the mound," Leary said. "He gave the team the opportunity to win this game.
"Hand, as usual, gave us a gritty relief outing. He deserves this win."
Thomas Schumacher also came through with a three-hit game, going 3-for-7 with a double, three runs scored and two RBIs. Casey Rother went 2-for-6 while Joe Gorla went 2-for-5 with a run scored in his second start of the season. Each member of the starting lineup came through with at least one hit for Lehigh.
The 21 hits tallied by the Mountain Hawks on Wednesday ties a season-high when Lehigh topped VMI, 15-13 in 11 innings back on Mar. 16. The 20 runs also tie a season-high with the team's performance in a 20-6 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Mar. 19. The game also went for 4:13, by far Lehigh's longest game played so far this season.
The Mountain Hawks will now continue Patriot League play this upcoming weekend with Army West Point for a three-game series on the road.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
The 11-run comeback is Lehigh's largest in the Patriot League era and one of, if not the largest comeback from a deficit in Lehigh baseball's 133-year history.
The Mountain Hawks' starting pitching struggled once again against non-league batting, as Cameron Van Hoorebeke allowed eight earned runs on six hits with three walks in 1 1/3 innings of work, while Sam Wurth gave up four earned runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings, as Saint Joseph's took an early 11-0 lead after two innings.
In the top of the third inning, junior Matt Hand finally put Lehigh on the scoreboard with a two-RBI double, scoring Tony Gallo and Jeff Shanfeldt to cut the deficit to 11-2. In the same inning, Casey Rother reached on a throwing error, scoring Hand to make it 11-3.
In the top of the fourth inning, Shanfeldt came through with a single through the right side, scoring Thomas Schumacher to make it 11-4. Tony Gallo's sacrifice-fly scored Joe Gorla to make it 11-4.
After giving up four straight Lehigh runs, SJU got another run across with an RBI single to make it a 12-5 ballgame.
The Mountain Hawks continued the scoring onslaught in the top of the fifth inning, as Quinn McKenna doubled to right field, scoring Hand to make it 12-6. Schumacher, the very next batter, also doubled to right center field scoring both McKenna and Rother to cut the deficit to just four runs, now a 12-8 game.
Still in the fifth, Shanfeldt's double down the left field line was hit hard enough with some carry to get the two runs in as both Mike Maguire and Schumacher scored, getting the score to 12-10.
Senior Ryan Malloy followed that up with a single to first base, scoring Shanfeldt, as Gallo advanced to second and then third on a throwing error. This made the game 12-11.
Matt Hand's SAC-fly to left field scored Gallo to help Lehigh complete the comeback in the fifth inning, tying the game at 12. That capped a seven run inning for the Mountain Hawks.
In the top of the sixth inning, Lehigh took its first lead of the game, as Gallo was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Schumacher to give the Mountain Hawks a 13-12 lead.
Saint Joe's took a lead back in the bottom of the seventh after a double scored two runs.
In the top of the eighth inning, Hand came through in the clutch once again with an RBI single, scoring Gallo to tie the game at 14. This sent the ballgame into extra innings, Lehigh's fifth such game this season so far.
Lehigh took over absolute control in the top of the 10th inning, making sure the game didn't progress even further as a Tony Gallo triple scored Shanfeldt to take a 15-14 lead. Matt Hand singled through the right side, scoring Gallo and then Chase Carlson reached on a throwing error by the pitcher, allowing both Hand and Malloy to score to make it an 18-14 game. To add insult to injury, Shanfeldt capped the Mountain Hawks' scoring for the afternoon with a single through the left side, scoring both McKenna and Carlson to make it a 20-14 game.
Saint Joseph's added a run in the bottom of the 10th inning, but Lehigh held on for the insane, 20-15 non-league road win.
"We've been struggling a bit lately and then we fell into a huge deficit to start this game," said head coach Sean Leary. "We could have easily 'mailed it in' but instead our seniors stepped up after the second inning and challenged the team to fight back and the team responded and began chipping away at the lead."
Shanfeldt continued to rake for the Mountain Hawks, going 4-for-5 with a double, three runs scored, five RBIs and two walks. With his performance, Shanfeldt ups his batting average to a .347 mark on the season. The game is his third straight multi-hit game and the second game this season with five or more RBIs in one game.
Tony Gallo returned to the starting lineup by posting a 4-for-6 afternoon with a triple, four runs scored and three RBIs. Matt Hand went 3-for-5 with a double, a walk, three runs scored and five RBIs.
"Shanfeldt, Hand and Gallo all had enormous days for us but in the end, everyone in the lineup contributed to this amazing comeback," said Leary. "I am so proud of all our guys."
Freshman Matt Stamford had a dominant outing on the mound in relief, allowing just two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts in three innings of relief. In addition to an unbelievable offensive afternoon, Hand (2-1) also picked up the win on the mound, throwing the final three innings, allowing just one earned run on three hits with a strikeout.
"Matt Stamford really changed the momentum for us on the mound," Leary said. "He gave the team the opportunity to win this game.
"Hand, as usual, gave us a gritty relief outing. He deserves this win."
Thomas Schumacher also came through with a three-hit game, going 3-for-7 with a double, three runs scored and two RBIs. Casey Rother went 2-for-6 while Joe Gorla went 2-for-5 with a run scored in his second start of the season. Each member of the starting lineup came through with at least one hit for Lehigh.
The 21 hits tallied by the Mountain Hawks on Wednesday ties a season-high when Lehigh topped VMI, 15-13 in 11 innings back on Mar. 16. The 20 runs also tie a season-high with the team's performance in a 20-6 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Mar. 19. The game also went for 4:13, by far Lehigh's longest game played so far this season.
The Mountain Hawks will now continue Patriot League play this upcoming weekend with Army West Point for a three-game series on the road.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hand, Matt (2-1)
L: DEVINE, Ryan (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Shanfeldt, Jeff 1 ; Hand, Matt 1 ; McKenna, Quinn 1 ; Schumacher, Thomas 1
3B: Gallo, Tony 1
RBI: Maguire, Mike 1 ; Shanfeldt, Jeff 5 ; Gallo, Tony 3 ; Malloy, Ryan 1 ; Hand, Matt 5 ; McKenna, Quinn 1 ; Schumacher, Thomas 2
SF: Gallo, Tony 1 ; Hand, Matt 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Maguire, Mike 1 ; Shanfeldt, Jeff 3 ; Gallo, Tony 4 ; Malloy, Ryan 1 ; Hand, Matt 3 ; Rother, Casey 1 ; Carlson, Chase 1 ; McKenna, Quinn 2 ; Schumacher, Thomas 3 ; Gorla, Joe 1
SB: Gallo, Tony 1 ; McKenna, Quinn 2
HBP: Maguire, Mike 1 ; Shanfeldt, Jeff 1 ; Gallo, Tony 1 ; Gorla, Joe 2
Batting:
2B: HUETH, Brendan 1 ; COSSETTI, Andrew 1 ; THOMAS, Nate 1 ; NAMEY, Kadar 1
3B: ARTZ, Jake 2 ; VANCE, Brian 1
RBI: BENDO, Liam 1 ; COSSETTI, Andrew 1 ; CUOCI, Dominic 1 ; NAMEY, Kadar 4 ; ARTZ, Jake 3 ; VANCE, Brian 4 ; CUPPARI, Matt 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HUETH, Brendan 2 ; BENDO, Liam 3 ; COSSETTI, Andrew 2 ; THOMAS, Nate 2 ; CUOCI, Dominic 2 ; NAMEY, Kadar 2 ; ARTZ, Jake 2
SB: HUETH, Brendan 1
HBP: VANCE, Brian 1
Game Leaders
dh/c
AB
5
R
3
H
4
RBI
5
AB
6
R
4
H
4
RBI
3
AB
7
R
3
H
3
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Baseball1B/2B
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball1B
/ BaseballC
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
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