Friday, February 16
Charleston, S.C.
1:00 PM
Lehigh University
0-1
4
vs
8
Ball State University
1-0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Ball State
3
0
0
2
1
0
0
2
0
8
10
0
Lehigh
0
2
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
4
11
3
Photo by: Maria Bouchard
Lehigh Drops Season Opener 8-4 To Ball State
2/16/2024 7:02:00 PM | Baseball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Lehigh baseball kicked off their season on Friday afternoon at the Swig & Swine College Classic in Charleston, S.C., taking on the Ball State Cardinals in game one. Although the Mountain Hawks outhit the Cardinals by one, Ball State came away with an 8-4 win.
"There were a lot of positives today, but against a quality opponent, we needed to be a little sharper with our execution," said head coach Sean Leary following the loss.
Alex Bouchard picks up the loss for Lehigh (0-1) after throwing three full innings, striking out three while conceding three earned runs. Jacob Hartlaub earns the win for Ball State (1-0) after allowing two earned runs with three strikeouts in four full innings.
Ball State, the defending MAC Champions, began their season on a strong note by sending three runs past home plate courtesy of home runs from Matthew Gonzalez and Hunter Dobbins. After each team retired the other in four batters over the next two half-innings, Lehigh got on the board in the bottom of the second thanks to Justin Butler's homer that scored Tyler Young. The score was set at 3-2 in favor of the Cardinals after two innings.
Neither side put any runs across the plate in the third, taking us to the top of the fourth inning. Bouchard conceded a double to BSU's Michael Hallquist in the inning's first at-bat, making way for Marcus Danchision to take the mound in his relief. The Cardinals added two unearned runs in the fourth inning to extend their lead by way of a throwing error and a passed ball. Jack Hamilton took the mound to replace Danchision in the fifth, allowing an additional unearned run courtesy of a sac-fly.
Facing a four-run deficit with only 12 outs remaining, the Mountain Hawks began their comeback effort in the sixth inning. Hamilton retired the side 1-2-3 in the top of the frame before Butler's double made way for an Owen Walewander RBI single that gave Lehigh its third run of the afternoon. After surviving a bases loaded situation in the top of the seventh, a Tyler Young double in the bottom of the inning sent home Andrew Kohl to cut the Ball State lead to two runs with two innings remaining.
The Mountain Hawks rallied late, however, Dylan Grego's two-run homer in the eighth inning set the lead back to four for Ball State. Lehigh ultimately couldn't respond in the final two innings, leaving four runners on base in the eighth and ninth.
Lehigh returns to action from the Swig & Swine College Classic on Saturday, February 17 against Michigan State. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Charleston.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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"There were a lot of positives today, but against a quality opponent, we needed to be a little sharper with our execution," said head coach Sean Leary following the loss.
Alex Bouchard picks up the loss for Lehigh (0-1) after throwing three full innings, striking out three while conceding three earned runs. Jacob Hartlaub earns the win for Ball State (1-0) after allowing two earned runs with three strikeouts in four full innings.
Ball State, the defending MAC Champions, began their season on a strong note by sending three runs past home plate courtesy of home runs from Matthew Gonzalez and Hunter Dobbins. After each team retired the other in four batters over the next two half-innings, Lehigh got on the board in the bottom of the second thanks to Justin Butler's homer that scored Tyler Young. The score was set at 3-2 in favor of the Cardinals after two innings.
Neither side put any runs across the plate in the third, taking us to the top of the fourth inning. Bouchard conceded a double to BSU's Michael Hallquist in the inning's first at-bat, making way for Marcus Danchision to take the mound in his relief. The Cardinals added two unearned runs in the fourth inning to extend their lead by way of a throwing error and a passed ball. Jack Hamilton took the mound to replace Danchision in the fifth, allowing an additional unearned run courtesy of a sac-fly.
Facing a four-run deficit with only 12 outs remaining, the Mountain Hawks began their comeback effort in the sixth inning. Hamilton retired the side 1-2-3 in the top of the frame before Butler's double made way for an Owen Walewander RBI single that gave Lehigh its third run of the afternoon. After surviving a bases loaded situation in the top of the seventh, a Tyler Young double in the bottom of the inning sent home Andrew Kohl to cut the Ball State lead to two runs with two innings remaining.
The Mountain Hawks rallied late, however, Dylan Grego's two-run homer in the eighth inning set the lead back to four for Ball State. Lehigh ultimately couldn't respond in the final two innings, leaving four runners on base in the eighth and ninth.
Lehigh returns to action from the Swig & Swine College Classic on Saturday, February 17 against Michigan State. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. in 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: N Blain (1-0)
L: Bouchard, Alex (0-1)
S: T Knapp (1)
Batting:
2B: M Hallquist 1
HR: M Gonzalez 1 ; H Dobbins 1 ; D Grego 1
RBI: M Gonzalez 2 ; H Dobbins 2 ; D Grego 2
SF: H Dobbins 1
Base Running:
RUNS: D Scheffler 2 ; M Gonzalez 1 ; H Dobbins 1 ; M Hallquist 2 ; D Grego 1 ; N Gregory 1
CS: H King 1
Batting:
2B: Cochran, Ryan 1 ; Young, Tyler 1 ; Butler, Justin 1
HR: Butler, Justin 1
RBI: Young, Tyler 1 ; Butler, Justin 2 ; Walewander, Owen 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kohl, Andrew 1 ; Young, Tyler 1 ; Butler, Justin 2
SB: Whitlinger, Jake 1 ; Kohl, Andrew 1
HBP: Cochran, Ryan 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
RHP
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RHP
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