
Mountain Hawks drop weekend finale at Bucknell
4/25/2021 5:58:00 PM | Baseball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead after one inning and wouldn't look back as the Bison defeated the Lehigh baseball team, 14-4, on Sunday afternoon to take the weekend series. Five of Bucknell's first eight runs were unearned as six Mountain Hawk errors proved costly. Lehigh scored three times in the top of the fifth to pull within 8-3, but a five-run seventh erased any doubt. The Mountain Hawks fall to 15-13 on the season, 12-8 in Patriot League play.
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Lehigh's top two hitters were bright spots on Sunday, as senior Eric Cichocki and junior Gerard Sweeney combined to go 7-for-9 with three runs and three RBIs. Cichocki finished 4-for-4 with two runs scored while Sweeney was 3-for-5, driving in three of the Mountain Hawks' four runs on the afternoon. Cichocki's four hits tied a career high, marking the first time he's done so in just four at-bats.
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Sophomore reliever Will Grisack entered in the third inning and settled things down, allowing just two hits and one run over 3.2 innings. Freshman Tyler Thompson allowed just one run over the final two innings, striking out two.
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In the bottom of the first, three Bucknell hits and a Lehigh error led to four quick Bison runs. Two innings later, Bucknell doubled its lead to 8-0.
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Lehigh rallied in the fifth as four hits led to three runs, with Sweeney supplying a two-run triple. Two batters later, Joe Gorla plated Sweeney to pull Lehigh within 8-3.
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In the seventh, a Cichocki triple followed by Sweeney RBI groundout got the Mountain Hawks within 9-4, but a five-run Bucknell bottom-of-the-inning erased any doubt.
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Lehigh will look to bounce back on Wednesday when it hosts Fairleigh Dickinson at 3 p.m. at J. David Walker Field.
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Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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Lehigh's top two hitters were bright spots on Sunday, as senior Eric Cichocki and junior Gerard Sweeney combined to go 7-for-9 with three runs and three RBIs. Cichocki finished 4-for-4 with two runs scored while Sweeney was 3-for-5, driving in three of the Mountain Hawks' four runs on the afternoon. Cichocki's four hits tied a career high, marking the first time he's done so in just four at-bats.
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Sophomore reliever Will Grisack entered in the third inning and settled things down, allowing just two hits and one run over 3.2 innings. Freshman Tyler Thompson allowed just one run over the final two innings, striking out two.
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In the bottom of the first, three Bucknell hits and a Lehigh error led to four quick Bison runs. Two innings later, Bucknell doubled its lead to 8-0.
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Lehigh rallied in the fifth as four hits led to three runs, with Sweeney supplying a two-run triple. Two batters later, Joe Gorla plated Sweeney to pull Lehigh within 8-3.
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In the seventh, a Cichocki triple followed by Sweeney RBI groundout got the Mountain Hawks within 9-4, but a five-run Bucknell bottom-of-the-inning erased any doubt.
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Lehigh will look to bounce back on Wednesday when it hosts Fairleigh Dickinson at 3 p.m. at J. David Walker Field.
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Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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