Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Vermont
Bucknell Baseball Posts 11-2 Victory Over Vermont in Best All-Around Performance of Trip to Florida
3/12/2009 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 12, 2009
LAKELAND, Fla. - Bucknell starter Chris Yamaguchi (Lincroft, N.J./Middletown South) threw eight innings and yielded just six hits and two runs and the Bison batted around in two different innings during an 11-2 victory over Vermont Thursday morning at Henley Field. The win helped Bucknell improve to 4-1 during its seven-game Spring Break trip to Florida.
Yamaguchi (1-0), who was making his third career start, was strong throughout as the Catamounts never sent more than four hitters to the plate in any inning. Only Matt Duffy, who scored an unearned run in the second and homered in the seventh, reached second base for Vermont. Yamaguchi, who struck out three and did not walk a batter until two outs into the eighth inning, lowered his team-best ERA to 1.69.
Bucknell's defense was also strong as four double plays were turned behind Yamaguchi.
Ben Allen (Port Royal, Pa./Juniata), Ben Yoder (Belleville, Pa./Indian Valley), Andrew Brouse (Kreamer, Pa./Midd-West), Doug Shribman (Marblehead, Mass./Belmont Hill) and Bret Sokirka (Wyoming, Pa./Wyoming Area) each recorded two hits for the Bison, who had 14 as a team. They have now had at least 10 hits in six consecutive games and are hitting .366 as a squad during their five games in Florida. Brouse, who was 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI, extended his hitting streak to six games, while Yoder is now riding a five-game hitting streak thanks to a 2-for-4 outing.
Bucknell (4-8) had to manufacture runs early, but then scored four runs in the sixth, thanks largely to a three-run home run to left by Zachary Brown, and five runs in the ninth with a two-run double by Shribman and a two-run single just over the outstretched glove of the third baseman by Sokirka.
The Bison, who are averaging nearly 10 runs a game in their last five contests, saw Allen single and then move to second on a sacrifice bunt by Yoder in the top of the first. Brouse drove him home with a single just inside the third base bag as Bucknell went up 1-0.
After a run by Vermont (0-9) in the bottom of the second, Allen again led off with a single and came around to score. This time he stole second, moved to third on a groundout to the right side by Yoder and then scampered home on a passed ball.
In the sixth, nine Bison stepped to the plate as the team batted around for the first time. Brouse led off with a double and Dane Grandizio (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg) walked. After a flyout to left by Bob Donato (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport), who became the third player in program history to hit for the cycle on Wednesday, Shribman singled home Brouse. Brown then smacked his third career home run to make the score 6-2.
Bucknell tacked on five insurance runs in the ninth as it batted around once again. Five of the first six hitters reached off reliever Ryan Houghtalen, Shribman and Sokirka's run-scoring hits highlighted the frame for the Bison.
Senior Joe Serafin (0-3) started for Vermont at pitcher and went 7.0 innings and scattered nine hits, four of which came in the four-run sixth inning. He recorded seven strikeouts and was charged with six runs.
The game was crisply played in just over two hours, thanks to both starting pitchers working quickly and throwing strikes. There were just five total walks in the contest and three of those came in the eighth inning or later.
Yamaguchi has now made three starts in his career, totaling 16.0 innings in those outings. Teams have managed to score just three earned runs off him in those starts.
Matt Foley (Chicago, Ill./St. Laurence) made his first appearance of the season in the ninth in relief of Yamaguchi. He walked the first hitter he faced, but the defense turned a double play behind him, meaning he ended up facing the minimum three hitters in his inning of work.
Brouse, who has had at least one RBI in each of the five games the team has played in Florida, now leads the team in hitting with a .388 batting average. He also paces the squad in home runs (4), RBIs (16), runs (13), hits (19), slugging percentage (.735), on-base percentage (.444), total bases (36) and stolen bases (3).
Bucknell will play its second-to-last game during its current trip Friday morning at 9 a.m. against Central Michigan. The contest will be played at Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, Fla.
