Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Columbia
Bucknell Baseball Completes Three Game Sweep of Columbia with 8-3 Victory
5/25/2008 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 25, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell baseball team completed a three game sweep of its series against Ivy League champion Columbia with an 8-3 victory on Sunday afternoon at Depew Field. The Bison will now enter NCAA Regional play with a record of 29-22-2, while the Lions will begin their NCAA Tournament run at 22-28 on the year.
During the course of the game, the Orange and Blue equaled three team single season records, broke another and saw Mark Angelo (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) match the individual record for games played in a season. The senior first baseman has appeared in all 53 of the squad's contests, equaling Mike McCarthy's total from 1999. Fifty-three is also the team record for games in a season. The Bison tied two additional team records originally set in 1999, as Bucknell's hitters have combined for 92 doubles and the pitching staff for 335 strikeouts. In addition, the squad eclipsed the total bases mark, currently with 799 on the season, surpassing the previous record of 783, set in 1997.
The Bison were first to score on the afternoon as sophomore Ben Allen (Port Royal, Pa./Juniata) began the bottom of the first with a single up the middle, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Dane Grandizio (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg), while Angelo ripped a single to right center to bring him home.
Then in the top of the third, Columbia took a 2-1 lead, tallying two runs without a hit after capitalizing on a pair of walks and a Bucknell error. Dan Neczypor drew a walk to open the frame and went on to score on a fielder's choice RBI ground ball by Jason Banos. Alex Ferrera followed Neczypor and walked as well. He later came in on an errant throw on a failed pickoff attempt at first.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Orange and Blue promptly took the runs back to climb back on top, 3-2. Back-to-back doubles by Grandizio and Angelo tied the score and Angelo eventually crossed the plate on a successful double-steal to give Bucknell back the lead.
The Lions tallied two of their four hits on the day in the fourth inning and leveled the score at 3-3. Dean Forthun sent a one-out single through the left side and Nick Cox drove him in with an RBI single with two down in the frame.
Columbia would manage just one hit the rest of the way as the Orange and Blue proceeded to score five unanswered runs. Angelo reached on a fielder's choice and came home on a double to the left field corner by sophomore Andrew Brouse (Kreamer, Pa./Midd-West) in the fifth for Bucknell's fourth run of the day.
The Bison then tacked on a pair in the sixth. Senior Shawn Hirsch (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) led off with a home run to left, his first of his career, while junior Zachary Brown (Stroudsburg, Pa./Notre Dame) followed with a single and scored on a fielder's choice RBI ground ball by Grandizio.
Bucknell added two more the following inning. Sophomore John Avanzino (Manhasset, N.Y./Manhasset) legged out a ball hit to the shortstop for an infield single, went to third on Brouse's second double of the game and senior Austin Turban (Northfield, Ill./New Trier) plated him with a sacrifice fly. Hirsch followed up with an RBI single to right that brought in Brouse for the final run of the contest.
Freshman Dylan Seeley (Shavertown, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) started on the mound for the Bison and earned the win (4-3). In five innings of work, he allowed three runs on three hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
In relief of starter Joe Scarlata, Dan Bracey entered in the fifth and took the loss (2-6) for Columbia. He surrendered two runs on three hits with no walks and two strikeouts in one inning on the hill.
Five members of the Orange and Blue had multiple hits in the contest, including Angelo (3-for-5), Brouse (2-for-4), Hirsch (2-for-4), Allen (2-for-5) and Grandizio (2-for-3). Angelo and Hirsch both drove in two, while Angelo scored a pair, as well. Brouse's hits, both two-baggers, vaulted him into the top-10 in program history for doubles in a season as he now has a team-high 13 on the year.
