Lehigh University
9-4
Utah Valley University
8-7
Mountain Hawks Split Saturday Doubleheader with Utah Valley
3/11/2023 9:46:00 PM | Baseball
Â
Game 1 – W, 12-3
Lehigh started quickly and took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when fifth-year Gerard Sweeney singled to score a run. Playing two scoreless innings following that, Utah Valley tied the game with an RBI single into center field, evening the game at 1-1.
Fifth-year Casey Rother broke the tie in the top half of the fifth with a two-run home run to right field to regain Lehigh's lead, 3-1. In the sixth frame, junior Riley Davis hit a stand-up triple to center field that plated two runners and extended the Mountain Hawks' advantage to 5-1.
Â
STAND-UP TRIPLE!! Riley Davis stands on third after driving in two runners to extend Lehigh's lead to 5-1 in the 6th.
— Lehigh Baseball (@LehighBaseball) March 11, 2023
Watch on @ESPN - https://t.co/43DtmMLkVI#GoLehigh | #RTTR pic.twitter.com/1zr7MWscES
The Wolverines cut the lead to two runs, 5-3, in 'the seventh inning, but Lehigh added four runs in their half of the eighth inning and tacked on another two runs in the ninth to finish game one of the day with a 12-3 victory.
Â
TWO MORE RUNS! Sweeney hits a two-RBI single to give Lehigh a 9-3 lead.
— Lehigh Baseball (@LehighBaseball) March 11, 2023
Watch on ESPN+ - https://t.co/43DtmMLkVI#GoLehigh | #RTTR pic.twitter.com/6mMtpXZe7k
Eight Mountain Hawks produced 15 hits in the win, with Sweeney going 4-for-6 with three RBIs and a double. Lehigh had four others collect two hits each in the game with Davis driving in three runs and scoring three runs to go with his first triple of the season and drawing two walks. Fifth-year Joe Gorla and junior Tyler Young both scored twice and recorded two hits each while sophomore Andrew Kohl plated one runner and score once with his two hits.Â
Rother's lone hit was for his fifth home run of the season and is now tied for second all-time in career home runs with 22. Sophomore Jake Whitlinger and junior Andrew Nole also had a base hit and scored a run while Whitlinger also drove in a run.
Â
IT IS GONE!! A 2-run home run from Rother puts Lehigh on top 3-1 in the top of the 5th.
— Lehigh Baseball (@LehighBaseball) March 11, 2023
Watch on ESPN+ - https://t.co/43DtmMLkVI#GoLehigh | #RTTR pic.twitter.com/TiHlBgcvRl
The left-handed fifth-year Luke Rettig got the start and tossed five innings with four hits and one unearned run while striking out three batters. First-year right-hander Shane O'Neill entered in relief and threw 1.2 innings, giving up two unearned runs on two hits with two K's and two walks before senior right-hander Ryan Deom entered and hurled 2.1 innings of work. Deom did not allow a run to score and gave up three hits with two strikeouts. Retting earned the victory in the decision and improves to 3-0 overall this year.
Game 2 – L, 9-4Â
Lehigh opened the second game of the afternoon with three runs in the first inning. Kohl singled to left field which score two runners and then Gorla followed that up with a single to left that plated another Mountain Hawk to take a 3-0 lead.
Â
Gorla makes it 3-0 with an RBI single to give Lehigh an early lead heading into the bottom of the 1st.
— Lehigh Baseball (@LehighBaseball) March 11, 2023
Watch on ESPN+ - https://t.co/wFtjB2hPpu#GoLehigh | #RTTR pic.twitter.com/H9gDCO0E8O
Utah Valley countered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the second inning to tie things up at 3-3 and then took a 5-3 lead on a two-run homer to right field. Rother singled to center field that scored Whitlinger to cut the deficit to just one run, 5-4, in the fifth inning but the Wolverines added a run in the sixth and three more in the sixth to push their advantage to 9-4. That score would hold for the remainder of the game as Utah Valley would take game two of the twin bill..
Â
Five Mountain Hawks each recorded one hit with Kohl driving in two runs while Gorla and Rother each plated one run. Whitlinger scored twice while Young had one hit and score a run. Sweeney also crossed the plate for the Mountain Hawks.
Â
Junior right-hand pitcher Teddy Tolliver got the start and was one of six pitchers to toe the rubber in the game. Tolliver tossed two innings and gave up three unearned runs on six hits with a couple of walks before he was replaced by sophomore right-hander Marcus Danchision (L, 0-1) who was dealt the loss after throwing two innings and allowed two earned runs on two hits and had one strikeout. Four others, first-years Cole Leaman, Ryan Mullock and Tommy Lamar and junior Lucas Rich each threw one inning.
Lehigh returns to UCCU Ballpark tomorrow to close out the four-game series against the Wolverines. The game is scheduled to start at 2:05 p.m. (EST) and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rettig, Luke (3-0)
L: Mueller, Mitch (1-3)
S: Deom, Ryan (1)
Batting:
2B: Sweeney, Gerard 1
3B: Davis, Riley 1
HR: Rother, Casey 1
RBI: Whitlinger, Jake 1 ; Perich, Rafe 1 ; Rother, Casey 2 ; Sweeney, Gerard 3 ; Kohl, Andrew 1 ; Davis, Riley 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Whitlinger, Jake 1 ; Perich, Rafe 1 ; Rother, Casey 1 ; Kohl, Andrew 1 ; Young, Tyler 2 ; Gorla, Joe 2 ; Nole, Andrew 1 ; Davis, Riley 3
SB: Sweeney, Gerard 1
HBP: Whitlinger, Jake 1 ; Rother, Casey 1
Batting:
2B: Schwarz, Matthew 1 ; Jordan, Cole 1
RBI: Schwarz, Matthew 1 ; Bach, Nathan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mills, Patrick 1 ; Halvorson, Calyn 1 ; Broussard, Garrett 1
SB: Broussard, Garrett 1 ; Bach, Nathan 1
HBP: Camper, Burke 1 ; Halvorson, Calyn 1
