Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Army
Bucknell Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader with Army, 4-0 and 9-2
4/9/2006 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 9, 2006
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Bucknell pitching staff held Army to just two runs and seven hits through two games as the Orange and Blue swept the Black Knights, 4-0 and 9-2, in the opening doubleheader of the teams' four game series on Sunday afternoon. The victories level the Bison at 3-3 in Patriot League play and improve their overall record to 11-17. Army falls to 13-14-1 with the pair of losses, 1-5 in league play.
In game one, Bucknell used a burst of offense in the fifth to lift the squad to a 4-0 victory, scoring all four runs and tallying five of the team's seven hits in that inning. With one out, sophomore Shawn Hirsch (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) knocked a single up the middle and senior Chris Grandizio (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg) followed with a single down the left field line, bringing classmate Brad Duvall (Hampstead, Md./Hereford) to the plate. Duvall then gave the Bison a 1-0 lead with an infield hit that scored Hirsch. The next batter, senior Matt Capece (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) increased the advantage to 2-0 with a double to deep center to bring home Grandizio. Senior Kyle Walter (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) plated Duvall with a sacrifice fly and junior Ryan Gryskevicz (Dallas, Pa./Dallas) drove in Capece with a single to right for the final run of the inning.
Junior Matt Curry (Towanda, Pa./Towanda) held the Black Knights to just two hits and recorded the victory (2-5) with a complete game shutout effort, walking two and striking out six in the contest. Army starter Nick Hill pitched all seven innings and took the loss (2-4). Hill allowed four runs on seven hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.
Hirsch was the lone Bison to record multiple hits in game one, going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Milan Dinga had both of the hits for the Black Knights, two singles, as he batted 2-for-3.
Bucknell began game two with a 2-0 lead after scoring twice in the first. Capece drove a one-out single up the middle and scored on a double to left center by Walter. Sophomore Chris Pieper (Port Washington, N.Y./Schreiber) brought in Walter for the second run of the inning with a single to shallow center.
Army took one of the runs back in the bottom half of the inning as Kyle Scogin belted a leadoff triple to center and then scored on an RBI groundout by Andrew Ernesto, cutting the team's deficit to 2-1.
The Bison answered with a run in the third and two more in the fourth to bring the score to 5-1. Capece reached base with a leadoff single and later crossed the plate for Bucknell's third run on an infield single by Pieper. Then in the fourth, Hirsch reached on an error and scored on a single by Capece. Duvall added the next run by coming home when Capece was caught in a rundown at first.
In the bottom of the seventh, a leadoff homer by Dinga gave the Black Knights their second run, but the Orange and Blue responded by scoring three with two outs in the top of the eighth. Pieper singled and senior Chris Brannan (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) drove in pinch runner Dane Grandizio (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg) with a double to right. Sophomore Jason Buursma (Seattle, Wash./Lakeside School) followed with an RBI single up the middle to bring home Brannan and Chris Grandizio plated Buursma with a single to center, increasing the Bucknell advantage to 8-2.
The Bison scored again with two outs the next inning. Gryskevicz reached on a fielder's choice and was driven in with an RBI single by Brannan.
Senior Jacob Moss (Fresno, Calif./San Joaquin Memorial) pitched 6.1 innings for Bucknell and allowed two runs on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts to earn the win (3-1). Senior Ian Rainey (Littleton, Colo./Littleton) recorded two outs in the sixth and Buursma pitched the remaining two innings with out allowing a run on two hits with no walks and two strikeouts. Ben Mayhew started and took the loss (3-2) for Army. He pitched 7.2 innings and gave up eight runs, six earned on 12 hits with one walk and five strikeouts.
In game two, Capece was 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored to lead the Bison hitters. Pieper and Chris Grandizio each batted 3-for-4 with Pieper recording two RBI and Grandizio one. Dinga was the only hitter for the Black Knights to finish with multiple hits in game two as he went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Bucknell returns to action tomorrow, Monday, April 10, when they will face Army in a doubleheader beginning at noon.
