Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Susquehanna
Bucknell Baseball Holds Off Late Susquehanna Rally for 7-6 Win
4/7/2004 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 7, 2004
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell baseball team took a 7-0 lead into the eighth inning of Wednesday's non-conference battle versus Susquehanna (6-13), and the visitors nearly gained it all back in the last two innings. However, the Bison (16-9) were able to cap their local rival's rally at five runs in a tumultuous ninth inning to preserve the win.
Bucknell got on the board in its half of the first when Pete Wolf doubled home Kyle Walter. Wolf had two of Bucknell's ten hits in a game that saw the Bison use 23 of their 33 rostermen. The Bison added four more in the fourth to build a 5-0 lead, highlighted by an RBI-single for Matt Capece that scored Steve Stutzman, and a two-RBI single by Sam Moss that scored Capece and Austin Barrett. The fourth run of the inning came on a Grandizio sacrifice fly that scored Moss. All the offense in the fifth stanza chased Crusaders' starter Adam Dick (0-2) to be chased from the game after surrendering seven Bison hits and all five runs.
The home squad added one more in the sixth when Stutzman scored on a throwing error by Susquehanna first baseman Clay Nixon, and its final run in the seventh when Greg Ekimoff doubled home Matt Belmont. Both runs came off Susquehanna reliever Eric Damm, who left after the seventh having given up three hits and both Bison scores.
Bucknell's pitching staff was superb through the first seven innings, never letting a Crusader past second base until the eighth. Tim Peacock started the game and went three innings giving up just two hits and no runs, while freshman Luke Mara earned his first collegiate win by going three innings and allowing just two hits as well. While Marc Cussatt had a fine seventh inning, Susquehanna broke up the shutout in the eighth when Gerohn Lanns singled home Matt Hess.
A trio of freshmen worked the ninth for Bucknell and weathered an offensive barrage from the Crusaders. Jonathan Stern made his first appearance of the season but failed to record an out. Ryan Gryskevicz entered with the bases loaded and recorded one out while all three of Stern's runs scored. Nathan Mittag entered and gave up two hits but ended the game and recorded his fourth save.
The Bison head to Army for likely the most important series of the Patriot League season this Friday and Saturday. The Black Knights lead the Bucknell nine by one game in the league standings with two league weekends to go following the Army-Bucknell clash.
Susquehanna 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 -- 6 10 3 Bucknell 1 0 0 0 4 1 1 0 x -- 7 10 0Peacock, Mara (4), Cussatt (7), Stern (9), Gryskevicz (9), Mittag (9) and Barrett;
Dick, Damm (6), Schmidt (8) and Haile. WP - Mara (1-0). LP - Dick (0-2). Save - Mittag (4).
RBI - B: Capece, Moss 2, Grandizio, Wolf, Ekimoff; S: Lanns 3, Hess, Mothershed 2.
2B - B: Capece, Wolf 2, Ekimoff; S: Reichard.Team Records - Bucknell: 15-9. Susquehanna: 6-13.
