Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Holy Cross
Holy Cross Takes a Pair from Bucknell Baseball
3/30/2002 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 30, 2002
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Holy Cross and Bucknell each opened their 2002 Patriot League schedule this afternoon at Bucknell Field, and the Crusaders won a pair of two-run games, winning 4-2 in the opener and 6-4 in the nightcap.
Holy Cross improved to 6-7 and won its fourth and fifth games in a row. The Crusaders also snapped a five-game losing streak against Bucknell. The Bison dropped to 9-16, and have now lost four straight.
Mike Montano (2-1) scattered four hits and earned his second complete-game victory of the season for Holy Cross in game one, while Bucknell's Sean Magee (2-2) lost for the first time in three starts. In game two, D.J. Lucey (3-0) stayed perfect on the season for the Crusaders, and Dan Powers picked up his first save of the year. Zach Allen (2-4) took the loss after giving up six runs in two innings, his shortest outing of the season.
Eric Fishman gave the Bison an early 1-0 lead in the opener when he launched a solo home run over the rightfield fence, but Holy Cross answered with a pair of runs on three hits in the top of the third. Powers, who also serves as the Crusaders' leadoff hitter and third baseman, ripped a triple off the rightfield fence with one out, and scored on Mike Schell's sacrifice fly to left. Peter Summa followed with a double, and No. 5 hitter Matthew McEvoy drove home Schell with a single.
The Bison tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth when Pete Wolf's RBI double down the rightfield line scored Fishman from second. Fishman reached on an error leading off the inning and stole second before Wolf's extra-base hit.
Holy Cross scored their final two runs on three hits in the sixth. Summa led off the inning with a double to right-center, after which Magee turned the ball over to Chris Lackett. After a groundout, Holy Cross catcher Dale Johnson reached on an infield single, moving Summa to third. Summa then scored on Lackett's wild pick-off attempt at first, and Johnson crossed the plate two batters later on an RBI-single to left.
Montano retired seven of the last eight batters he faced. He allowed just two batters to reach base over the final three innings, and neither runner reached second. Montano did not issue a walk and struck out one.
Summa was the offensive star of the game for Holy Cross, as he finished the game 3-for-3 with three doubles and two runs. Johnson was 2-for-3 with one run.
Holy Cross jumped on top 6-0 after two innings in the nightcap, and held off a late Bucknell rally for a 6-4 victory.
The Crusaders scored twice off Allen in the first on two hits and one hit batsman. Powers got things started with a single to right, and Schell trotted to first after getting hit with a pitch. Summa put Holy Cross on top 1-0 with an RBI-single up the middle to score Powers, and Johnson made it 2-0 with an RBI-groundout.
A four-hit second inning pushed Holy Cross's lead to 6-0. Powers drilled a one-out single into rightfield to score Bill Andruskevich from third and Steve Buckley from second, and Schell followed up with double to left. Summa allowed Powers to score with a sacrifice fly to center, and McEvoy knocked in Schell with a double to right-center.
Bucknell cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the inning with three runs on four hits and one error. With two outs, the Bison shelled Lucey with four hits in a row. Larry Scheetz and Ben Stoll both singled to put runners on first and second, and Phil Bunting drove home Scheetz on a single to center. Stoll crossed the plate on a throwing error, which allowed Bunting to move up to second. Chris Cipolloni completed the Bison offensive burst with a double down the rightfield line to score Bunting to make it 6-3.
Allen ran into trouble in the top of the third, as Drew Bigda and Andruskevich led off with back-to-back singles. But reliever Blane Sharpless allowed the Bison to escape from the inning unscathed by fanning the side.
Sharpless would throw two more scoreless innings, and Lackett kept the Crusaders off the scoreboard in the sixth and seventh.
The Bison trimmed the lead to 6-4 and threatened to take the lead with runners on second and third in the seventh. Chris Mahony and pinch-hitter Austin Barrett roped consecutive singles to lead off the frame, and after Fishman was hit with a pitch for the second time in a row, Holy Cross called on Powers to replace Lucey on the mound. Making just his second appearance of the season, Powers allowed Mahony to score when Wolf reached on a fielder's choice, but struck out Brian Day and Scheetz to end the game.
Lucey earned the win despite surrendering eight hits and hitting three batters. He struck out six and walked just one.
Allen gave up six runs on eight hits and one walk and one hit batsman. In three innings of work, Sharpless allowed only one hit and one walk to go with four strikeouts. Holy Cross managed two hits in two innings against Lackett.
Powers, Summa, Johnson and Andruskevich each belted two hits apiece in the nightcap. Summa ended up going 5-for-6 for the day, while Johnson finished 4-for-7.
Bunting went 2-for-2 with one run and one RBI in game two.
Both teams will meet at Bucknell Field at noon again tomorrow for another doubleheader.
