Saturday, February 27
Baltimore, Md.
12 p.m.
Lehigh University
1-0
9
at
0
Coppin State
0-3
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5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Lehigh
3
2
0
0
0
0
1
1
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9
12
1
Coppin State
0
0
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0
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1
3
Photo by: Lisa Stamford
Pitching, baserunning and Leary's 500th win highlight Lehigh's sweep of Coppin State
2/27/2021 10:15:00 PM | Baseball
Mountain Hawks start season 2-0 for the first time since 2016
COLUMBIA, Md. – A special day it was to open the 2021 season for the Lehigh baseball team, as the Mountain Hawks took two from Coppin State Saturday afternoon at Blandair Park. Junior Mason Black, sophomore Ryan Deom and senior Yash Rane hurled a combined 21-strikeout one-hitter to earn head coach Sean Leary his 500th career victory in Game 1, shutting out the Eagles, 9-0. And in Game 2, the Mountain Hawks scored four in the first inning and Casey Rother homered twice with five RBIs to power the team to a 10-1 win to improve to 2-0 to start the season for the first time since 2016.
Lehigh scored a total of five runs between the first two innings and when led by an Adam Retzbach walk that brought in Eric Cichocki to take a 1-0 lead. A fielding error that brought in Gerard Sweeney and a Joe Gorla sacrifice fly had the Mountain Hawks leading 3-0 at the end of the first.
With two runners on base in the top of the second inning, Rother grounded out to third base which scored Cichocki to take a 5-0 lead.
In the top of the seventh, freshman Riley Davis flied out to right field, scoring Retzbach to take a 6-0 lead and a Rother single to bring in Cichocki in the eighth put Lehigh up 7-0.
Two Lehigh runs in the ninth inning including a Sweeney RBI single made the score final at 9-0.
Black was terrific on the mound in his 2021 season debut. He went five strong innings without allowing a single hit or run and struck out 11 batters against 16 batters faced on 73 pitches. The Patriot League Preseason Pitcher of the Year struck out seven consecutive batters between the third and fifth innings and his 11 total are a career-high after registering nine in his final three starts to the 2020 season.
"It was terrific for our team to set a tone in the first couple innings and for Mason to come out on a cold, rainy day on a turf mound and so many challenges with a smile on his face just because he was out there competing again," said Leary. "Quite frankly he was dominant, he was pretty much upper 90's the whole outing and spotted both his fastball and breaking ball against a pretty good hitting team.
"He showed what an ace needs to do, which is go out and set a tone for the entire day."
Sophomore Ryan Deom came out of the bullpen to relieve Black entering the sixth inning and was just as solid, pitching three innings of one-hit, shutout ball with no walks and seven strikeouts on 42 pitches. Senior Yash Rane shut the door in the ninth inning by striking out the side in order. As a staff in Game 1, the Mountain Hawks combined for 21 strikeouts, allowing just a single hit.
"I think the most impressive thing our pitchers did today was they competed at a high level and didn't walk a guy the entire first game," Leary said. "They were competing in the zone and I don't know what our program record is for strikeouts in a nine-inning game but I've got to imagine it's probably up there.
"Each guy came out and did what they were asked to do and we think we have some depth. Today we saw that and it was fun to see those guys get out there and compete again."
At the plate, Eric Cichocki was fantastic with a career-high four hits in a 4-for-6 afternoon, scoring three runs and also stealing four bases. Gerard Sweeney went 1-for-3 with an RBI and three walks, while the Mountain Hawks walked over to first base seven times throughout the contest.
"Eric was legitimately the offensive star of Game 1," said Leary. "He was on-base creating havoc from the first inning and set a tone just by getting on base, stealing bases and scoring runs and made it a little easier for the middle guys to knock him in. But we talk about getting our leadoff game on base and he was just awesome at that all day."
The start of Game 2 was just as strong as the way Lehigh came out of the gate in the first game. The Mountain Hawks plated four runs in the top of the first inning, capitalized by a two-run home run off the bat of Casey Rother. A double steal by Joe Gorla and Cam Hubbard produced a throwing error by the CSU catcher, scoring Hubbard to take a 4-0 lead.
The Mountain Hawks got a pair of RBI singles in the top of the second inning from Gerard Sweeney and Adam Retzbach to extend the lead to 6-0 through two frames.
In the top of the fourth, Joe Gorla singled to left field, scoring Hubbard to take a 7-0 lead. In the fifth, Rother's two-RBI single scoring Sweeney and Cichocki allowed Lehigh to take a commanding 9-0 advantage.
Rother capped off his monster day with a solo shot to right field in the seventh, capping his five-RBI performance, giving the Mountain Hawks a 10-0 cushion.
"One of the things that we talked about coming into the season was that our guys put a lot of work in during the offseason," said Leary. "They've been working on their hitting every minute they've been permitted into the facilities. Casey is the lead guy along with Sweeney and Retz. Those are the guys that put the time in and it was really cool to see them get rewarded today.
"He was the offensive star of Game 2 and some really big hits, but I thought our offense was just consistent with their pressure and were on base a ton today which was awesome."
Coppin State got its first run of the series in the eight after a runner advanced on a wild pitch, scoring a man, but Lehigh held on for the 10-1 victory.
Just like it was in Game 1, pitching was the story for Lehigh as senior right-hander Matt Svanson had a special outing, allowing just one hit over four shutout innings with two walks and eight strikeouts. Junior lefty Luke Rettig came into the game in relief in the fifth inning and threw three shutout innings, allowing just a single hit with six strikeouts.
"Matt and Luke carried the baton from the first three guys and our first 16 innings were just about as good as you could possibly get," Leary said. "They were spotting the ball and throwing multiple pitches. More than anything, they were just competing and throwing a ton of strikes, attacking the zone and strikeout numbers are difficult to predict on any given day, but they were just super competitive from the first moment out there."
Senior Sam Wurth closed out the game, throwing the final 1 2/3 innings, striking out a couple of batters while allowing just one hit.
Rother went 3-for-6 with two home runs, two runs scored and five RBIs. Eric Cichocki went 1-for-3 with two walks, three runs scored and a stolen base. For the day, the senior outfielder finished 5-for-8 with six runs scored, two walks and five stolen bases. As a team, the Mountain Hawks stole seven bags in Game 2, led by Cam Hubbard (3) and Riley Davis (2), while both Cichocki and Gorla each recorded one.
Lehigh walked eight times in the second game, totaling 15 between the two, as getting men on base was one of the main themes of the day for the program.
What better way to reach a milestone than on Opening Day as head coach Sean Leary recorded his 500th career victory following the Mountain Hawks' 9-0 victory over Coppin State. Leary, the winningest head coach in program history, reaches the plateau in his 26th season at the helm.
"I think the most special thing about reaching that number is the amount of text messages I'm returning right now," Leary said. "You realize that a lot of special players played a role in that and probably a 100 of them have reached out already in the first hour after the game.
"That's what makes this job special, is that you get to have lifelong relationships with many young men that become adults. That's had me smiling for the last 45 minutes. The number's a number, but it's more about the memories you have with a lot of special kids. Somebody who was a part of my first win sent me a text. Reaching 500 wins just makes me thankful that I've had the opportunity to be around so many special kids."
The Mountain Hawks will return to action next Saturday, March 6 for a doubleheader with George Washington in D.C. before returning home to J. David Walker Field on March 7 for two with the Colonials.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Lehigh scored a total of five runs between the first two innings and when led by an Adam Retzbach walk that brought in Eric Cichocki to take a 1-0 lead. A fielding error that brought in Gerard Sweeney and a Joe Gorla sacrifice fly had the Mountain Hawks leading 3-0 at the end of the first.
With two runners on base in the top of the second inning, Rother grounded out to third base which scored Cichocki to take a 5-0 lead.
In the top of the seventh, freshman Riley Davis flied out to right field, scoring Retzbach to take a 6-0 lead and a Rother single to bring in Cichocki in the eighth put Lehigh up 7-0.
Two Lehigh runs in the ninth inning including a Sweeney RBI single made the score final at 9-0.
Black was terrific on the mound in his 2021 season debut. He went five strong innings without allowing a single hit or run and struck out 11 batters against 16 batters faced on 73 pitches. The Patriot League Preseason Pitcher of the Year struck out seven consecutive batters between the third and fifth innings and his 11 total are a career-high after registering nine in his final three starts to the 2020 season.
"It was terrific for our team to set a tone in the first couple innings and for Mason to come out on a cold, rainy day on a turf mound and so many challenges with a smile on his face just because he was out there competing again," said Leary. "Quite frankly he was dominant, he was pretty much upper 90's the whole outing and spotted both his fastball and breaking ball against a pretty good hitting team.
"He showed what an ace needs to do, which is go out and set a tone for the entire day."
Sophomore Ryan Deom came out of the bullpen to relieve Black entering the sixth inning and was just as solid, pitching three innings of one-hit, shutout ball with no walks and seven strikeouts on 42 pitches. Senior Yash Rane shut the door in the ninth inning by striking out the side in order. As a staff in Game 1, the Mountain Hawks combined for 21 strikeouts, allowing just a single hit.
"I think the most impressive thing our pitchers did today was they competed at a high level and didn't walk a guy the entire first game," Leary said. "They were competing in the zone and I don't know what our program record is for strikeouts in a nine-inning game but I've got to imagine it's probably up there.
"Each guy came out and did what they were asked to do and we think we have some depth. Today we saw that and it was fun to see those guys get out there and compete again."
At the plate, Eric Cichocki was fantastic with a career-high four hits in a 4-for-6 afternoon, scoring three runs and also stealing four bases. Gerard Sweeney went 1-for-3 with an RBI and three walks, while the Mountain Hawks walked over to first base seven times throughout the contest.
"Eric was legitimately the offensive star of Game 1," said Leary. "He was on-base creating havoc from the first inning and set a tone just by getting on base, stealing bases and scoring runs and made it a little easier for the middle guys to knock him in. But we talk about getting our leadoff game on base and he was just awesome at that all day."
The start of Game 2 was just as strong as the way Lehigh came out of the gate in the first game. The Mountain Hawks plated four runs in the top of the first inning, capitalized by a two-run home run off the bat of Casey Rother. A double steal by Joe Gorla and Cam Hubbard produced a throwing error by the CSU catcher, scoring Hubbard to take a 4-0 lead.
The Mountain Hawks got a pair of RBI singles in the top of the second inning from Gerard Sweeney and Adam Retzbach to extend the lead to 6-0 through two frames.
In the top of the fourth, Joe Gorla singled to left field, scoring Hubbard to take a 7-0 lead. In the fifth, Rother's two-RBI single scoring Sweeney and Cichocki allowed Lehigh to take a commanding 9-0 advantage.
Rother capped off his monster day with a solo shot to right field in the seventh, capping his five-RBI performance, giving the Mountain Hawks a 10-0 cushion.
"One of the things that we talked about coming into the season was that our guys put a lot of work in during the offseason," said Leary. "They've been working on their hitting every minute they've been permitted into the facilities. Casey is the lead guy along with Sweeney and Retz. Those are the guys that put the time in and it was really cool to see them get rewarded today.
"He was the offensive star of Game 2 and some really big hits, but I thought our offense was just consistent with their pressure and were on base a ton today which was awesome."
Coppin State got its first run of the series in the eight after a runner advanced on a wild pitch, scoring a man, but Lehigh held on for the 10-1 victory.
Just like it was in Game 1, pitching was the story for Lehigh as senior right-hander Matt Svanson had a special outing, allowing just one hit over four shutout innings with two walks and eight strikeouts. Junior lefty Luke Rettig came into the game in relief in the fifth inning and threw three shutout innings, allowing just a single hit with six strikeouts.
"Matt and Luke carried the baton from the first three guys and our first 16 innings were just about as good as you could possibly get," Leary said. "They were spotting the ball and throwing multiple pitches. More than anything, they were just competing and throwing a ton of strikes, attacking the zone and strikeout numbers are difficult to predict on any given day, but they were just super competitive from the first moment out there."
Senior Sam Wurth closed out the game, throwing the final 1 2/3 innings, striking out a couple of batters while allowing just one hit.
Rother went 3-for-6 with two home runs, two runs scored and five RBIs. Eric Cichocki went 1-for-3 with two walks, three runs scored and a stolen base. For the day, the senior outfielder finished 5-for-8 with six runs scored, two walks and five stolen bases. As a team, the Mountain Hawks stole seven bags in Game 2, led by Cam Hubbard (3) and Riley Davis (2), while both Cichocki and Gorla each recorded one.
Lehigh walked eight times in the second game, totaling 15 between the two, as getting men on base was one of the main themes of the day for the program.
What better way to reach a milestone than on Opening Day as head coach Sean Leary recorded his 500th career victory following the Mountain Hawks' 9-0 victory over Coppin State. Leary, the winningest head coach in program history, reaches the plateau in his 26th season at the helm.
"I think the most special thing about reaching that number is the amount of text messages I'm returning right now," Leary said. "You realize that a lot of special players played a role in that and probably a 100 of them have reached out already in the first hour after the game.
"That's what makes this job special, is that you get to have lifelong relationships with many young men that become adults. That's had me smiling for the last 45 minutes. The number's a number, but it's more about the memories you have with a lot of special kids. Somebody who was a part of my first win sent me a text. Reaching 500 wins just makes me thankful that I've had the opportunity to be around so many special kids."
The Mountain Hawks will return to action next Saturday, March 6 for a doubleheader with George Washington in D.C. before returning home to J. David Walker Field on March 7 for two with the Colonials.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Black, Mason (1-0)
L: REA,Aaron (0-2)
Batting:
3B: McKenna, Quinn 1
RBI: Sweeney, Gerard 1 ; Rother, Casey 2 ; Retzbach, Adam 1 ; Hubbard, Cam 1 ; Gorla, Joe 2 ; Davis, Riley 1
SF: Gorla, Joe 1 ; Davis, Riley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cichocki , Eric 3 ; Sweeney, Gerard 1 ; Rother, Casey 1 ; Retzbach, Adam 2 ; Gorla, Joe 1 ; Young, Tyler 1
SB: Cichocki , Eric 4 ; Sweeney, Gerard 1 ; Hubbard, Cam 1 ; Davis, Riley 2
CS: McKenna, Quinn 1
HBP: Rother, Casey 1 ; McKenna, Quinn 1
Batting:
3B: DAY,Matt 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
6
R
3
H
4
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
3
R
2
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
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/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballC
/ Baseball1B/RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
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/ Baseball
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