Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Army
Baseball Team Splits Patriot League Doubleheader with Army
4/28/2001 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 28, 2001
Lewisburg, Pa. - Bucknell junior right-hander Chris Lackett (Wall Township, N.J./Wall) allowed just one run on five hits in a complete-game 4-1 win over Army in Patriot League play on Saturday afternoon. The victory allowed Bucknell (27-16, 13-5 PL) to salvage a split of its doubleheader with Army (15-25-1, 9-9 PL), and remain in first place, one game ahead of Navy, in the conference standings. The Cadets won the opener, 12-1.
Lackett carried a shutout into the final frame, but Kyle Kalkwarf led off with a double to right center and moved to third on a ground out to first. After a fly out to center field for the second out, first baseman Michael Cooper laced a sinking line drive to left that Bison outfielder Eric Fishman (Springfield, N.J./Jonathan Dayton) dove for in an effort to preserve the shutout for his pitcher. Instead, the ball got by and Cooper landed at third with an RBI-triple. Lackett regrouped and got Josh Rizzo to fly to right for the final out. It was his fifth complete game of the year, improving his overall record to 6-2.
Bucknell scored all the runs it would need in its half of the first. Center fielder Ian Joseph (Novelty, Ohio/West Geauga) led off with an infield single to first, and advanced to second when Army second baseman Miguel Gastellum couldn't find the handle on a ground ball by Fishman. Joseph and Fishman pulled off a double steal, and when catcher Brandon Boyce's throw got past the third baseman, Joseph scored for a 1-0 lead and Fishman went to third. John DiBonaventura (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland) walked, putting runners at the corners. Russ Lindberg (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel) stepped in and hit a sacrifice fly to center to plate Fishman. Mike Ritz (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) followed with a single through the left side of the infield, and during the next at bat he and DiBonaventura advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Kevin Eiben (Delta, British Columbia/Vancouver College) then hit a grounder to Josh Minney at third base who fired a throw home and had DiBonaventura by five feet. But DiBonaventura's hard slide knocked the ball out of Boyce's glove for the Orange and Blue's third and final run of the inning.
The Bison added a run in the sixth when catcher Pat Cann (Mill Valley, Calif./Marin Catholic) hit a triple to left center, and scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by Chris Herron (Vienna, Va./Bishop O'Connell).
In game one, Army starter Buck Adams had complete control from the onset, going the distance for his fourth win of the season. Adams scattered six hits, walked two and struck out five while not allowing an earned run.
The Cadets roughed up Bison starter Kevin McDowell (Cheswick, Pa./Deer Lakes), scoring nine runs, seven of which were earned, in six innings off the hard-throwing left-hander. He allowed eight hits, walked six, hit three batters and struck out just one.
Army began their onslaught with two two-out runs in the top of the first. After McDowell retired the first two batters on a pair of ground outs, he hit Josh Minney with a pitch to keep the inning alive. Buddy Gengler stepped in and blooped a wind-aided double into right field, driving Minney to third base. Kalkwarf then notched the first two of his game-high five RBIs with a single up the middle for a 2-0 lead.
Army added to its lead with a pair of unearned runs in the third. Josh Holden reached on a fielding error by Herron to begin the frame, and moved to second when McDowell was called for a balk. After Gastellum walked, Minney sacrificed the runners to second and third. Holden tried to score on a ground ball to third and was thrown out at home for the second out of the inning. Gengler stole second, and he and Gastellum scored on a single to right by Kalkwarf. A walk and a double by Kalkwarf produced another run in the sixth. Kalkwarf scored two batters later on a ground out by Greg Sirko to increase the lead to 6-0.
Bucknell got on the board in the sixth. With one out, Fishman reached on a pinch-hit single to center. He stole second, moved to third on an infield single by Herron and scored when the first baseman's throw to Adams, who was covering the first base bag, was wild.
Kalkwarf was 3-for-3 with five RBIs to lead Army's 12-hit attack. Gastellum, Gengler and Cooper each had two hits for the Cadets. Herron went 2-for-3 to lead the Bison.
Bucknell and Army will be back in action tomorrow, Sunday, April 29, to wrap up the Patriot League's regular season. A Bucknell sweep will guarantee the Bison the regular-season crown and the right to host the 2001 Patriot League Championship Tournament on May 12-13. Game one begins at 12:00 noon tomorrow.
