Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Fresno State
Bucknell Baseball Falls to Fresno State, 13-1
3/18/2006 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 17, 2006
FRESNO, Calif. - Senior Kyle Walter (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) struck out five, including the first four batters he faced in his collegiate debut on the mound, but errors proved costly for Bucknell as the team fell to Fresno State, 13-1, of day five of the Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic. The Orange and Blue drop to 5-8 overall following the loss, while the Bulldogs move to 18-8.
The Bison took a 1-0 lead in the second inning after senior Chris Brannan (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) reached base with a leadoff single and came around to score on an RBI single to left by classmate Brad Duvall (Hampstead, Md./Hereford)
Then in the bottom of the fourth, the Bulldogs manufactured two runs without a hit to take a 2-1 lead. Beau Mills reached on an error and scored on an error and Christian Vitters reached with a walk and scored on a wild pitch.
Fresno State went on to plate four in the fifth to extend its advantage to 6-1. Ozzie Lewis belted a leadoff triple and Kent Sakamoto followed with a single to bring him home. Sakamoto later came around to score on an error, Mills walked and scored on a fielder's choice and Erik Wetzel drove in the final run of the inning with single to right center that plated Brian Lapin.
The Bulldogs scored three times in the sixth, with back-to-back RBI doubles by Mills and Vitters and a single by Justin Wilson that drove in Vitters to increase the lead to 9-1, and then later the team plated four more in the eighth.
Walter started for Bucknell and took the loss (0-1) as he pitched four innings and allowed five runs, three earned, on four hits with five walks and five strikeouts. Eddie Romero threw seven innings and allowed one run on nine hits with two walks and six strikeouts on his way to the victory (6-1) for Fresno State.
Senior Chris Grandizio (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg) and Walter both had multiple-hit games for the Bison. Grandizio went 2-for-3 at the plate and Walter was 2-for-4 with a double. Vitters and Wetzel each had two-hit nights for the Bulldogs as Vitters finished 2-for-2 at the dish with two RBI and three runs scored and Wetzel was 3-for-3 with two RBI.
Bucknell will play its final game of the Fresno State Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic tomorrow, Saturday, March 18, against Binghamton at 8 p.m., Eastern.
