Saturday, March 27
Easton, Pa.
12 p.m.
Lehigh University
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Lafayette
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Photo by: Josh Liddick
Clutch plays lead Lehigh past Leopards in pair of road victories
3/27/2021 8:21:00 PM | Baseball
EASTON, Pa. – Playing a Rivalry series for the first time in over 700 days, all-around efforts in both games proved to be too much for Lafayette, as the Lehigh baseball team claimed both ends of a road doubleheader at Kamine Stadium, improving to 7-6 overall and 4-1 in the Patriot League.
Like he has been for the entire season so far, junior right-hander Mason Black was outstanding in the first game of the two-game set. Black had a no-hitter through three innings, struck out seven of nine batters at one point and ended up allowing just one run on three hits, earning the win and the complete game.
In the second game, it was a combination of hitting and defense that stuck out for the Mountain Hawks, as junior Joe Gorla was the hero at the plate for the contest, going 3-for-5 with a double and four RBIs, while Gerard Sweeney continued his torrid pace, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Lehigh swatted 11 hits, resulting in eight runs to pace the team.
But all-in-all, it was the pitching that really stood out once again, as the dominant arms of Black, Matt Svanson and Luke Rettig combined to strike out 15 batters and allowing just four earned runs between the two games.
"Our big arms, our horses, they really led today," said head coach Sean Leary. "Those three guys have been very strong to start the season, but we haven't put an entire game together yet. We haven't pitched on the days we hit and vice versa. But today, I thought we played outstanding on the defensive side of the ball. I am just proud of the fact that while we have been struggling in those areas, we are just working harder.
"We are putting so much work in right now and I really do think this was our most complete weekend. The pitching has been doing what it's been doing. But then clutch hitting and some really clutch defensive plays helped us win these two games."
Lehigh plated three in the fifth, led by Adam Retzbach's two-run shot and followed by Cam Hubbard's single that scored Davis to lead it 4-0.
The Leopards had an opportunity to put together a rally in the last half of the seventh, as an RBI single with one out made it 4-1, but Lehigh held on for the victory.
Gorla got things started with a two-run double in the top of the first inning to push the Mountain Hawks out in front quickly, 2-0.
Eric Cichocki and Sweeney hit back-to-back jacks in the top of the third to make it 4-1 and Gorla singled in Rother to extend the lead to 5-1.
Luke Rettig pitched four and a third solid innings of relief to earn his first save of the season, with no runs on two hits and two strikeouts to boot.
Notably on offense, senior Eric Cichocki went 3-for-9 with a home run and extended his hitting streak to nine straight games.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Gallery: (3-27-2021) Baseball at Lafayette, 3/27/21
Like he has been for the entire season so far, junior right-hander Mason Black was outstanding in the first game of the two-game set. Black had a no-hitter through three innings, struck out seven of nine batters at one point and ended up allowing just one run on three hits, earning the win and the complete game.
In the second game, it was a combination of hitting and defense that stuck out for the Mountain Hawks, as junior Joe Gorla was the hero at the plate for the contest, going 3-for-5 with a double and four RBIs, while Gerard Sweeney continued his torrid pace, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Lehigh swatted 11 hits, resulting in eight runs to pace the team.
But all-in-all, it was the pitching that really stood out once again, as the dominant arms of Black, Matt Svanson and Luke Rettig combined to strike out 15 batters and allowing just four earned runs between the two games.
"Our big arms, our horses, they really led today," said head coach Sean Leary. "Those three guys have been very strong to start the season, but we haven't put an entire game together yet. We haven't pitched on the days we hit and vice versa. But today, I thought we played outstanding on the defensive side of the ball. I am just proud of the fact that while we have been struggling in those areas, we are just working harder.
"We are putting so much work in right now and I really do think this was our most complete weekend. The pitching has been doing what it's been doing. But then clutch hitting and some really clutch defensive plays helped us win these two games."
In the top of the second in Game 1, a Gerard Sweeney sacrifice fly scored Riley Davis to put the Mountain Hawks on top first, 1-0.CAMERON HUBBARD. 😲😲😲
— Lehigh Baseball (@LehighBaseball) March 27, 2021
Kid just makes plays with his glove. #PLTop3 #SCTop10
Watch: https://t.co/Yf8jfXA7mw pic.twitter.com/ndcwbosVPU
Lehigh plated three in the fifth, led by Adam Retzbach's two-run shot and followed by Cam Hubbard's single that scored Davis to lead it 4-0.
The Leopards had an opportunity to put together a rally in the last half of the seventh, as an RBI single with one out made it 4-1, but Lehigh held on for the victory.
Gorla got things started with a two-run double in the top of the first inning to push the Mountain Hawks out in front quickly, 2-0.
Eric Cichocki and Sweeney hit back-to-back jacks in the top of the third to make it 4-1 and Gorla singled in Rother to extend the lead to 5-1.
A Sweeney RBI single in the fourth and a Gorla RBI single in the same inning made it 7-2, while Lehigh got one more run in the ninth inning when Sweeney scored on a balk to make it 8-3, which proved to be the final.T3 | BACK-TO-BACK! Gerard Sweeney homers to the same spot as Cichocki as the Mountain Hawks take a 4-1 lead.
— Lehigh Baseball (@LehighBaseball) March 27, 2021
Watch: https://t.co/Yf8jfXA7mw pic.twitter.com/sFnmtUhUTV
Luke Rettig pitched four and a third solid innings of relief to earn his first save of the season, with no runs on two hits and two strikeouts to boot.
Notably on offense, senior Eric Cichocki went 3-for-9 with a home run and extended his hitting streak to nine straight games.
The Mountain Hawks, on a three-game win streak in Patriot League contests, return home to J. David Walker Field at Legacy Park on Sunday, taking on the Leopards in a doubleheader beginning at noon. Those games will be streamed live on ESPN+.How do you end a ballgame?
— Lehigh Baseball (@LehighBaseball) March 27, 2021
Like this....🙌@TylerYoung16_, how you feeling?#GoLehigh | #RTTR | #PLTop3 pic.twitter.com/CQimiqswQc
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Black, Mason (2-1)
L: Yoder, Jordan (2-1)
Batting:
HR: Retzbach, Adam 1
RBI: Sweeney, Gerard 1 ; Retzbach, Adam 2 ; Hubbard, Cam 1
SF: Sweeney, Gerard 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rother, Casey 1 ; Retzbach, Adam 1 ; Davis, Riley 2
SB: Davis, Riley 1
HBP: Gorla, Joe 1 ; Nole, Andrew 1 ; Davis, Riley 1
Batting:
RBI: Chmielewski, Kyle 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Minghini, Dylan 1
CS: Johnson, Justin 1
HBP: Ingram, Seif 1 ; Savage, Zach 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
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R
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H
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RBI
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AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
RHP
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/ Baseball
OF
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RHP
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