Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Baseball Team Splits a Doubleheader With Army
4/29/2001 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 29, 2001
Lewisburg, Pa. - Bucknell scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to cap off a 5-4 come-from-behind win in the second game of its doubleheader with Army on Sunday afternoon. Army won the opener by a convincing 13-0 score, shutting the Bison out for just the second time in the past 143 games.
The loss in game one also opened the door for Navy to take over the top spot in the league standings. The Mids swept Lafayette on Sunday, and finished tied with Bucknell atop the standings with a 14-6 record. However, since Navy won three-of-four against the Bison during the regular season, it wins the tie breaker and will host the Patriot League Championship Tournament for the second straight year.
Bucknell will enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed and will face No. 3 Holy Cross in a nine-inning elimination game on Saturday, May 12.
Army wasted little time in taking control of game one on Sunday. The Black Knights scored three runs off Bison starter Zach Allen (Port Royal, Pa./Juniata) in the top of the first, and went on to smack a season-high 20 hits in the contest. Army scored in every inning but the second, and eight of the nine players in the lineup had at least two hits.
Shortstop Buddy Gengler was 3-for-4 with four RBIs, Michael Cooper was 3-for-4 and Josh Minney was 3-for-5 with two RBIs for the Black Knights.
Junior pitcher Brian Elliott took to the mound with a 2-5 record and an ERA of over 9.00, but came through with a two-hit gem for the Black Knights. He gave up a line drive single to John DiBonaventura (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland) in the first and a double to the gap in left by Chris Herron (Vienna, Va./Bishop O'Connell) in the second. He walked just one and struck out four en route to his third win of the season.
In the night cap, the Black Knights once again jumped on Bison pitching, scoring three times in the first off starter R.J. Grant (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley). Josh Holden led off with a bunt single, and with one out stole second. Minney followed with a single to right to score Holden for a 1-0 lead. Gengler stepped in and ripped his second double of the day putting runners on second and third. After a sacrifice fly scored Minney, Grant threw wild to first on a come-backer by Greg Sirko and Gengler scored, unearned.
Army padded its lead with a run in the third. Grant walked Miguel Gastellum to lead off the frame. After Gastellum moved to second on a ground out, Gengler came through with an RBI single through the left side of the infield.
The Bison scored their first runs of the day in the bottom half of the third. Center fielder Ian Joseph (Novelty, Ohio/West Geauga) led off with a home run to right, breaking a nine-inning scoreless drought for the Orange and Blue. After a fly out, DiBonaventura tripled to the wall in right center and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Russ Lindberg (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel).
Bucknell tied the game at 4-4 in the fifth inning on a two-out, two-run home run to left field by senior outfielder Mike Ritz (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional). It was Ritz's sixth home run of the season and the 16th of his career.
Junior closer Gregg Farmery (Punxsutawney, Pa./Punxsutawney), who came on in relief in the fifth inning, closed Army down over the final three innings, allowing just one hit and giving his team the opportunity to win the game in its final at-bat.
Joseph singled to left to start the seventh for the Bison. Army brought Buck Adams, the starter in the first game of the series, in to face pinch hitter Jeff Peck (Moon Township, Pa./Moon). Peck successfully sacrificed Joseph to second, and then DiBonaventura walked. Lindberg stepped in and hit a ground ball that Army shortstop Gengler booted to load the bases. Ritz came to the plate and hit what looked to be a potential double play ball to short, but Gengler bobbled the ball before flipping to second for the force and Ritz beat the relay throw to first to drive in the winning run.
The Bison will take a break for final exams before preparing for the Patriot League Championship Tournament at Annapolis on May 12-13.
