Lehigh University
2-3
The Citadel
4-2
Mountain Hawks Bats Come Alive, Handing The Citadel a Double-Digit Loss
2/25/2023 8:53:00 PM | Baseball
Lehigh left a runner left in scoring position in the first and allowed the Bulldogs to score their first run of the game to fall behind 1-0 after the first inning. The Mountain Hawks tied things up with a solo homer from junior catcher Andrew Nole, followed by sophomore Jake Whitlinger recording an RBI single that scored junior Tyler Young to take a 2-1 lead.
The Mountain Hawks plated five runs in the top of the third with fifth-year Joe Gorla crushing a two-run home run to put the score at 4-1 and then sophomore Andrew Kohl hit a solo homer, his second of the series, giving Lehigh a 5-1 advantage. Sophomore Rafe Perich doubled to right-center field to plate the final two runs of the inning and possessed a 7-1 lead after three innings.
Lehigh added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings before tacking on two more in the sixth inning to extend their advantage to double digits, 11-1. The Citadel got one run across the plate in the bottom of the sixth frame, 11-2, but the Mountain Hawks did not hold back and put an eight-spot on the board and took a 19-2 lead after the top half of the seventh. The Bulldogs scored twice in their half of the seventh, but still trailed 19-4 through seven innings. The Citadel got three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but the Mountain Hawks would win game two, 19-7.
The left-handed fifth-year Luke Rettig (1-0) made his second start of the season, earning his first victory of the year, throwing 4.1 innings with one unearned run on one hit with three strikeouts and one walk. Senior Ben Christian entered in relief and tossed 1.2 innings of work with three hits, one earned run and a strikeout while classmate Ryan Deom replaced Christian on the mound and hurled two innings with two earned runs on three hits and fanned three. Najir Glenn threw the ninth inning and allowed three earned runs on three hits and two strikeouts.
Ten Mountain Hawks combined for 18 total hits, with six student-athletes producing at least two hits in the game, led by Perich's 4-for-5 performance with four RBIs and a double. Fifth-year Casey Rother had two hits, a double and an RBI while scoring a run as fifth-year Gerard Sweeney scored two runs, also had one RBI and was walked twice. Nole crushed his first home run of the season for one of his two base knocks with two RBIs and two runs scored while Young had two hits, a double, two walks and scored twice. First-year Ryan Cochran recorded his first two collegiate hits while plating one runner.
Whitlinger, Gorla, Kohl and first-year Dom Patrizi each recorded one hit each and combined for six RBIs in the game. Gorla hit his second home run of the year while Kohl crushed his team-leading third home run of the year and hit homers in back-to-back games. Patrizi also recorded his first-career hit wearing the Brown and White, which was good for a double and an RBI. Six Mountain Hawks were hit by pitches today and 10 reached base on walks,
The Mountain Hawks return to Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park for Sunday's rubber match of the three-game series with The Citadel. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. with the right-handed sophomore Val Taddei to get the start.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rettig, Luke (1-0)
L: Ben Hutchins (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Perich, Rafe 1 ; Rother, Casey 1 ; Young, Tyler 1 ; Patrizi, Dom 1
HR: Gorla, Joe 1 ; Nole, Andrew 1 ; Kohl, Andrew 1
RBI: Whitlinger, Jake 1 ; Perich, Rafe 4 ; Rother, Casey 1 ; Sweeney, Gerard 1 ; Gorla, Joe 2 ; Holtz, Sam 1 ; Nole, Andrew 2 ; Kohl, Andrew 1 ; Becil, Greg 1 ; Davis, Riley 1 ; Cochran, Ryan 1 ; Patrizi, Dom 2
SH: Whitlinger, Jake 1 ; Cochran, Ryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Whitlinger, Jake 1 ; Dambach, Austin 1 ; Perich, Rafe 1 ; Rother, Casey 1 ; Sweeney, Gerard 2 ; Gorla, Joe 1 ; Holtz, Sam 1 ; Nole, Andrew 2 ; Kohl, Andrew 3 ; Young, Tyler 4 ; Patrizi, Dom 2
SB: Whitlinger, Jake 1
HBP: Dambach, Austin 1 ; Gorla, Joe 1 ; Kohl, Andrew 1 ; Young, Tyler 1 ; Davis, Riley 1 ; Cochran, Ryan 1
Batting:
2B: Anthony Badala 1 ; Matthew Lively 1
HR: Garrett Dill 1
RBI: Travis Lott 1 ; Matthew Lively 1 ; Noah Mitchell 1 ; Garrett Dill 3 ; Phillips Daniels 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Anthony Badala 2 ; Travis Lott 2 ; Crosby Jones 1 ; Luke Montenery 1 ; Garrett Dill 1
HBP: Travis Lott 2 ; Luke Montenery 1
