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Photo by: Maria Bouchard
Lehigh Blanks Michigan State 2-0 For First Win In 2024
2/17/2024 8:25:00 PM | Baseball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Lehigh baseball returned to action from the Swig & Swine College Classic on Saturday afternoon, taking on the Michigan State Spartans in their first of two Big Ten matchups this weekend. Two early runs and excellence on the mound from the Mountain Hawks paved way for a 2-0 Lehigh upset win.
"The win was a total team effort," said head coach Sean Leary. "The pitchers and defense were outstanding."
Starting on the mound for the Mountain Hawks was Cole Leaman, who allowed only two hits off of 14 batters in three full innings thrown. Val Taddei entered in his relief in the fourth inning, throwing three innings while earning the win in the process. Taking the loss for the Spartans was Aaron Mishoulam, who struck out seven batters while allowing two earned runs.
Both teams left runs on the board in the opening frame, as both the Mountain Hawks and Spartans each left two runners on base. MSU got its first three batters aboard courtesy of two hits and a walk, but Leaman navigated the jam thanks to a swinging strikeout and a double-play.
Lehigh got its first hit of the afternoon off of a Dom Patrizi double in the second inning, but the game's first run wouldn't come until the third. After Jake Whitlinger was hit by a pitch at the top of the order, he stole second base, making way for Rafe Perich's single to send him home.
Still leading 1-0, Leary inserted Taddei on the mound in place of Leaman in the fourth inning. The right-handed junior quickly retired the Spartans in only three batters to maintain the lead for Lehigh.
The Mountain Hawks recorded their third and final hit of the afternoon in the top of the fifth by way of a Whitlinger single up the middle. After a Ryan Cochran ground-out advanced Whitlinger and Perich was intentionally walked, the Spartans made a critical mistake. Andrew Kohl reached on an error from MSU's Randy Seymour that also sent Whitlinger home, and Lehigh capitalized on the game's lone error.
While the Spartans didn't allow a hit through the final four innings, Lehigh's pitching staff performed just as admirably. Taddei shut down MSU in four batters in the sixth inning before he was replaced by Brandon Coughlin in the seventh. Although he walked his first batter, Coughlin forced a fly-out and struck out two to keep the score at 2-0.
Tommy Lamar entered in relief of Coughlin in the eighth, needing six outs to secure the upset victory for his team. The sophomore impressed under the pressure, first retiring the Spartans in four batters in the eighth, which included a swinging strikeout to close the inning. After the Mountain Hawks went scoreless in the top of the frame, three strikeouts from Lamar in the bottom of the ninth put a bow on Lehigh's first win of the season.
"Leaman, Taddei, BC and Lamar all competed at a high level and made quality pitches when they needed them," said Leary of his pitching staff.
In addition, Leary commended the leadership of several of his upperclassmen, particularly Whitlinger and Tyler Young, in helping the Mountain Hawks earn the hard-fought victory.
"Young and Whitlinger are our energy guys," said Leary. "They played outstanding defense and have provided great on-field leadership this weekend."
The Mountain Hawks conclude play from the Swig & Swine College Classic on Sunday, February 18 against the #20 Iowa Hawkeyes. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. from Charleston.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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"The win was a total team effort," said head coach Sean Leary. "The pitchers and defense were outstanding."
Starting on the mound for the Mountain Hawks was Cole Leaman, who allowed only two hits off of 14 batters in three full innings thrown. Val Taddei entered in his relief in the fourth inning, throwing three innings while earning the win in the process. Taking the loss for the Spartans was Aaron Mishoulam, who struck out seven batters while allowing two earned runs.
Both teams left runs on the board in the opening frame, as both the Mountain Hawks and Spartans each left two runners on base. MSU got its first three batters aboard courtesy of two hits and a walk, but Leaman navigated the jam thanks to a swinging strikeout and a double-play.
Lehigh got its first hit of the afternoon off of a Dom Patrizi double in the second inning, but the game's first run wouldn't come until the third. After Jake Whitlinger was hit by a pitch at the top of the order, he stole second base, making way for Rafe Perich's single to send him home.
Still leading 1-0, Leary inserted Taddei on the mound in place of Leaman in the fourth inning. The right-handed junior quickly retired the Spartans in only three batters to maintain the lead for Lehigh.
The Mountain Hawks recorded their third and final hit of the afternoon in the top of the fifth by way of a Whitlinger single up the middle. After a Ryan Cochran ground-out advanced Whitlinger and Perich was intentionally walked, the Spartans made a critical mistake. Andrew Kohl reached on an error from MSU's Randy Seymour that also sent Whitlinger home, and Lehigh capitalized on the game's lone error.
While the Spartans didn't allow a hit through the final four innings, Lehigh's pitching staff performed just as admirably. Taddei shut down MSU in four batters in the sixth inning before he was replaced by Brandon Coughlin in the seventh. Although he walked his first batter, Coughlin forced a fly-out and struck out two to keep the score at 2-0.
Tommy Lamar entered in relief of Coughlin in the eighth, needing six outs to secure the upset victory for his team. The sophomore impressed under the pressure, first retiring the Spartans in four batters in the eighth, which included a swinging strikeout to close the inning. After the Mountain Hawks went scoreless in the top of the frame, three strikeouts from Lamar in the bottom of the ninth put a bow on Lehigh's first win of the season.
"Leaman, Taddei, BC and Lamar all competed at a high level and made quality pitches when they needed them," said Leary of his pitching staff.
In addition, Leary commended the leadership of several of his upperclassmen, particularly Whitlinger and Tyler Young, in helping the Mountain Hawks earn the hard-fought victory.
"Young and Whitlinger are our energy guys," said Leary. "They played outstanding defense and have provided great on-field leadership this weekend."
The Mountain Hawks conclude play from the Swig & Swine College Classic on Sunday, February 18 against the #20 Iowa Hawkeyes. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. from Charleston.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Taddei, Val (1-0)
L: Mishoulam,Aaron (0-1)
S: Lamar, Tommy (1)
Batting:
2B: Patrizi, Dom 1
RBI: Perich, Rafe 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Whitlinger, Jake 2
SB: Whitlinger, Jake 1
CS: Perich, Rafe 1
HBP: Whitlinger, Jake 1 ; Kohl, Andrew 1
Batting:
2B: Busch,Sam 1
Base Running:
SB: Frank,Jack 1
HBP: Busch,Sam 2
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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OF
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RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
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/ BaseballIF/RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF/IF
/ Baseball
IF
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