Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lafayette (PL Tournament)
Bucknell Baseball Rallies Past Lafayette, 10-6, with Seven-Run Seventh
5/13/2006 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 13, 2006
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - With two out in the bottom of the seventh, junior Ryan Gryskevicz (Dallas, Pa./Dallas) belted a grand slam to lift the Bucknell baseball team to a 10-6 come-from-behind victory over Lafayette in the Patriot League Tournament elimination game at Lehigh on Saturday afternoon. With the win, Bucknell improves to 24-22 on the season and advances to face No. 1 seed Lehigh in the Patriot League Championship, while the Leopards end their season with a record of 27-24.
In the first inning, Lafayette jumped out in front 3-0. Tom Hayes singled up the middle with one away, Jeff Butler followed with a single to left and Joe Ezekiel doubled to right center, plating Hayes. Then with two out in the frame, Dave Drechsel doubled down the right field line to bring in Butler and Ezekiel.
The Leopards added two more runs in the third as Hayes walked and scored on an RBI single by Ezekiel and Butler walked and came home on a double play. The following inning, Lafayette increased its lead to 6-0 with an RBI single by Daniel Bierce.
Bucknell began its climb back in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Matt Capece (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) tripled to center field and classmate Kyle Walter (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg Area) drove him in with a sacrifice fly, giving the Bison their first run of the contest. With two out and Gryskevicz on base after reaching with a walk, sophomore Chris Pieper (Port Washington, N.Y./Schreiber) blasted a home run over the left field fence to cut the Leopards' advantage in half at 6-3.
Later in the bottom of the seventh, Bucknell completed its comeback with seven runs on six hits. Pieper began the rally with a one-out single to center. Then with two out, sophomore Shawn Hirsch (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) singled to right center. The next batter, senior Chris Grandizio (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg) plated Pieper with an RBI single and senior Brad Duvall (Hampstead, Md./Hereford) brought the Bison to within a run with a hit to score Hirsch. Grandizio came home on a single to right by Capece to tie the score at six and Walter followed and was intentionally walked loading the bases for Gryskevicz. With one swing of the bat, Gryskevicz gave the Orange and Blue their first lead of the game as he rocketed a grand slam to left, bringing the score to 10-6.
Senior Ian Rainey (Littleton, Colo./Littleton) picked up the victory (2-0) for the Bison in relief of starter Matt Curry (Towanda, Pa./Towanda) who went 3.2 innings and allowed six runs on eight hits with two walks and one strikeout. Rainey threw 3.1 scoreless innings and scattered three hits with one walk and no strikeouts. Sophomore Jason Buursma (Seattle, Wash./Lakeside School) pitched the remaining two innings without letting up a run and surrendered just one hit with one walk and two strikeouts. Matt Revelle suffered the loss (6-4) for Lafayette. He gave up seven runs on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts over 6.2 innings of work.
Pieper led all Bucknell hitters, going 3-for-3 at the plate against the Leopards with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI. Gryskevicz was 1-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored, while Capece and Hirsch both went 2-for-4.
