Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
West Virginia
Bucknell Baseball Drops Two to West Virginia, 8-4 and 8-1
2/19/2006 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 19, 2006
Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Senior Kyle Walter (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg Area) was just a home run shy of hitting for the cycle in game one, but the Bucknell Baseball team dropped the final two games of its weekend series with West Virginia by the scores of 8-4 and 8-1. The Bison fell to 0-3 on the year while the Mountaineers improved to 3-0 for their best start since 1969.
Bucknell jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning of game one as Walter laced a triple to left center that brought in senior Matt Capece (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) who reached with a walk. Junior Ryan Gryskevicz (Dallas, Pa./Dallas) followed with a ground out to plate Walter for the Bison's second run.
In the bottom of the second, West Virginia answered with a pair of runs to tie the score at two. Stan Posluszny led off the inning with a walk and Kyle Matuszek singled through the left side, giving the Mountaineers two on with no outs. Casey Bowling advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt and David Carpenter collected two RBI on a two-out double off the wall in left center.
Walter put the Orange and Blue back out in front with his second hit of the ballgame, sending a double into right center in the top of the third that brought home senior Brad Duvall (Hampstead, Md./Hereford).
However, West Virginia managed to take the lead in the bottom of the inning. Tyler Kuhn began the Mountaineers' half of the third with a single through the right side and would later come around to score on an error. Then Posluszny, who reached on the error, came home on a single through the left side by Matuszek.
But Bucknell battled back, promptly leveling the score at four apiece in the top of the fourth. Sophomore Austin Turban (Northfield, Ill./New Trier) began the inning with a single through the right side and later came home on a ground out by Duvall.
The Mountaineers continued the offensive outburst with four runs in the fourth, capitalizing on two Bison errors and three singles by Adam White, Kuhn and Justin Jenkins to take the lead, 8-4.
That would be all West Virginia would need as Eric Saffell held of the Orange and Blue to record the victory (1-0), allowing one run on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work in relief of starter Levi Maxwell who pitched 2.2 innings and allowed three runs on three hits with one walk and one strikeout.
For Bucknell, starter Nathan Mittag (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield) suffered the loss (0-1). He went 3.1 innings and allowed eight runs, two earned, on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Sophomore Mathew Wilson (Toronto, Ontario/Northern S.S.) threw 2.2 hitless innings for the Bison out of the bullpen, struck out three and walked none.
Walter led the offense for the Orange and Blue in game one, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and two RBI. For West Virginia, Kuhn went 2-4 in the contest with two runs scored and an RBI, Matuszek was 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI and Carpenter hit 1-3 with a run scored and two RBI.
In the second game of the afternoon, the Mountaineers managed to get on the board first. In the first inning with one out, Posluszny homered to left with a 1-2 count after Kuhn reached on a walk and Jenkins singled, giving West Virginia a 3-0 advantage.
The Bison climbed to within 3-1 in the third as sophomore Shawn Hirsch (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) drew a leadoff walk and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Capece.
However, that would be as close as Bucknell would come as the Mountaineers posted four runs on five hits, all singles, in the bottom of the fifth inning to extend their advantage to 7-1. West Virginia added an eighth run in the seventh when Bowling drove in his second of the game with a single up the middle to plate Posluszny.
Dan Leatherman held the Bison hitless in five innings of relief work and struck out five to earn the win (1-0) for West Virginia. Matt Yurish started the contest for the Mountaineers and pitched four innings, allowing one run on two hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Gryskevicz started for the Orange and Blue and suffered the loss, allowing seven runs, five earned on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 4.2 innings of work.
Bucknell returns to action on Saturday March, 4, when the team will play its home-opener, the first of two doubleheaders on the weekend against Cornell beginning at noon at Depew Field.
