Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lehigh
Lehigh Takes Two from Bucknell Baseball, 6-3 and 10-5
4/1/2006 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 1, 2006
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Despite taking an early lead in game one and fighting hard in game two, the Bucknell baseball team came up empty in its 2006 Patriot League debut, falling to Lehigh 6-3 and 10-5 at Depew Field on Saturday afternoon. With the losses, the Bison drop to 7-16 overall, 0-2 in the Patriot League, and the Mountain Hawks improve to 12-15, 2-0 in league play.
Bucknell began game one with a 3-0 lead. In the first inning, senior Brad Duvall (Hampstead, Md./Hereford) walked then came home on a one-out double by senior Kyle Walter (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg Area). The next batter, junior Ryan Gryskevicz (Dallas, Pa./Dallas), brought in Walter with a single up the middle for the second run of the contest for the Orange and Blue. The Bison added a third run in the second after senior Chris Grandizio (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg) belted a double down the left field line and scored on a single by Duvall.
That would be all for the Bucknell offense, however, as Lehigh held the Bison to just three hits in the final five innings. The Mountain Hawks cut their deficit to 3-1 in the third with three-straight singles by Mike Sandonato, Liam O'Connor and Joe Ercolano. Then in the fourth, an RBI single up the middle by David Moscow to plate Andrew Smith brought Lehigh to within a run.
After three singles to open the fourth, the Mountain Hawks tied the score at three and went on to add what would prove to be the winning runs with Nick Bet scoring on a wild pitch, Smith driving in Matt McBride with a single to left and later coming home on an error.
Junior Matt Curry (Towanda, Pa./Towanda) threw four innings and took the loss (1-5). He allowed five runs, all earned, on eight hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Kyle Collina earned the victory (4-3) for Lehigh after pitching all seven innings and allowing three runs on seven hits with two walks and 12 strikeouts.
In game two, the Mountain Hawks climbed out in front, 1-0, with a solo home run to right field by Matt Geiger in the second inning.
Bucknell managed to get the run back in the bottom of the second with a single up the middle by Jason Buursma (Seattle, Wash./Lakesides School) that plated Gryskevicz who was hit by a pitch to begin the inning.
However, in the top of the third, Lehigh reclaimed the lead when an RBI single by Bet down the left field line plated Ercolano. Then in the fourth, the Mountain Hawks extended their advantage to 3-1 after Mark Bernhard singled to left, driving in Geiger.
With two out, Lehigh added two more runs in the fifth. O'Connor scored on an error and McBride crossed the plate on a double to right by Smith.
The Bison fought back with two runs in the bottom of the inning as Duvall came home on a wild pitch and Walter plated senior Matt Capece (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) with a sacrifice fly, but the Mountain Hawks pulled away with one in the seventh and four in the eighth to extend their advantage to 10-3.
With two out in the bottom of the ninth, Bucknell began a rally with a single by Capece, while Walter followed with a double to centerfield. Pinch hitter junior Dustin Kapson (Sweet Valley, Pa./Lake Lehman) brought in both runners with a single up the middle, but Mountain Hawks' reliever Greg Mortka escaped any further damage by getting sophomore Chris Pieper (Port Washington, N.Y./Schreiber) to fly out to right field.
Senior Jacob Moss (Fresno, Calif./San Joaquin Memorial) started for Bucknell and suffered the setback (2-1) as he allowed six runs, one earned, on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts in seven innings of work. Jed Davitt, the starter for Lehigh, threw seven innings and allowed three runs on 11 hits with no walks and five strikeouts to pick up the victory (2-2).
Capece led the Bucknell hitters in game two, going 3-for-5 at the plate with a double, and two runs scored. Buursma went 2-for-3 with an RBI, Pieper was 2-for-5 and Kapson was 1-for-1 with two RBI. For the Mountain Hawks, Bet finished game two 2-for-5 with three RBI, Geiger was 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored, and O'Connor hit 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
The teams will be back in action tomorrow, April 2, for the second doubleheader of the weekend series, with game one beginning at noon at Depew Field.
