Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Virginia
Bucknell Baseball Edged by Seventh-Ranked Virginia, 2-0
2/23/2007 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 23, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Junior Mathew Wilson (Toronto, Ontario/Northern S.S.) allowed only one run over six innings, but the Bucknell baseball team came up just short against nationally-ranked Virginia, falling by the score of 2-0 on Friday afternoon on Devenport Field. The setback leaves the Bison at 0-2 on the year, while the Cavaliers, who were tabbed seventh in the nation by Baseball America this week, improve to 8-1 and stretch their current winning streak to six.
Despite taking the loss, Wilson quelled a potent Virginia offense that had scored 10 or more runs in each of its first seven wins on the year and had combined for 18 doubles, five triples and six home runs through eight games. Wilson, who totaled five strikeouts and seven walks in his first start of the season, held the Cavaliers to four hits, none for extra bases. Sophomore Sean Driscoll (Colts Neck, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) relieved him and allowed one run on three hits in 1.1 innings of work. Junior Jason Buursma (Seattle, Wash./Lakeside School) pitched the remaining two-thirds of an inning, surrendering one hit, while also logging a strikeout.
Sean Doolittle (3-0) recorded the win for Virginia and gave up four hits over his six scoreless innings on the mound with eight strikeouts and no walks. Casey Lambert allowed one hit in the ninth and registered the save (1) after Jake Rule worked the seventh and the eighth.
In the top of the third, Bucknell junior Austin Turban (Northfield, Ill./New Trier) belted the first hit of the contest for either team, driving a leadoff double down the left field line. However with a runner in scoring position and no outs, Doolittle proceeded to strike out the next three Bison batters.
Then in the bottom half of the frame, the Cavaliers loaded the bases on three walks, but Wilson worked out of the two-out jam, fanning Brandon Guyer to end the inning. v Bucknell opened the fourth with a single by junior Ed Rubbo (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge), who was erased on the next play with a fielder's choice. Senior Ryan Gryskevicz (Dallas, Pa./Dallas) followed with an infield single to give the Bison runners on first and third with one out. That would be all though, as Doolittle escaped the potential threat with a pop out and a strikeout.
Virginia responded by taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the inning. Jeremy Farrell singled to right to begin the fourth, which was the Cavaliers' first hit of the contest. Following a walk to Beau Seabury, Patrick Wingfield moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt and Mike Mitchell brought Farrell home with a sacrifice fly to put Virginia on the board. The Cavaliers later increased their advantage to 2-0 in the eighth inning on an RBI single by Seabury that plated Guyer.
Leading the Bison hitters, Gryskevicz finished the contest 2-for-4, while Rubbo, junior Chris Pieper (Port Washington, N.Y./Schreiber), Turban and junior Shawn Hirsch (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) all recorded one hit apiece on the afternoon.
For the Cavaliers, Seabury and Mitchell both went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Guyer and Farrell each hit 1-for-2 and scored a run.
Bucknell will return to action tomorrow, Feb. 24, when the squad will close out its series at Virginia with a double-header slated to begin at 1 p.m. at Davenport Field.
