Bucknell University
Lehigh
Seeley Pitches Bucknell Baseball to Doubleheader Split with Lehigh
4/25/2010 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 25, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - For the second straight Sunday, Dylan Seeley's pitching propelled the Bucknell baseball team to a doubleheader split against a Patriot League opponent. The tall right-hander fired his second straight complete game and yielded just one run in an 8-1 Bison game one victory over Lehigh Sunday afternoon at Depew Field. The Mountain Hawks used a five-run sixth inning in game two to overcome a two-run deficit and defeat Bucknell 7-4.
The Bison went 1-3 during the weekend series, but still possess fourth place in the Patriot League standings with a 7-9 league mark. Bucknell is one game ahead of fifth-place Navy, which was swept by Holy Cross on Sunday. The top four teams in the final league standings qualify for the postseason tournament. The Bison were the No. 4 seed two years ago when they won the Patriot League Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they defeated Florida State.
While Seeley stole the headlines in game one, Andrew Brouse registered the most notable feat in game two when he hit a solo home run leading off the second inning. It was his 14th home run of the season, tying Frank Fresconi's program single-season record. Brouse, who now has 27 home runs in his career, already holds that record, having surpassed Jason Buursma's 24 last week.
Seeley (4-3), who has given up just one run in his last 14 innings, retired the first eight hitters he faced and allowed only three singles through the first six innings. In fact, only one Mountain Hawk reached scoring position during that span, and that came when Brendan Pifer and Brendan McGaheran picked up back-to-back two-out singles in the third. The first two hitters reached against Seeley in the seventh, and he lost his bid for a second straight shutout on a one-out single by Sean Killeen, but by that point the Bison had built an 8-0 cushion.
Bucknell (19-28, 7-9 PL) scored its eight runs in game one on just eight hits as it capitalized on seven walks, a hit by pitch, an error and a passed ball on a third strike. The Bison had the bases loaded three separate times for No. 3 and No. 4 hitters Brouse and Ben Yoder, and they had at least one runner reach third base in each of the first five innings.
Doug Shribman, who capped the scoring with a three-run home run with two outs in the fifth, was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. He also hit two home runs on Saturday, giving him three in the four-game weekend series.
Bucknell was up 2-0 entering the third when the first two hitters reached on mistakes by Lehigh. Shribman struck out, but reached when the ball squirted out of the catcher's glove and rolled to the backstop. Then, Drew Constable reached when shortstop McGaheran hurried his throw to first and pulled Kevin Mihalik off the bag with a high throw. This set up a first and second with no outs situation. After a sac bunt and a ground out, it appeared as though the Mountain Hawks might get out of the inning unscathed, but David Duffett came through with a single to the left of McGaheran that plated both Shribman and Constable, extending the Bison lead to 4-0.
A bases-loaded sac fly by Brouse and Shribman's three-run shot provided insurance runs in the fifth inning.
Lehigh (17-23, 9-7 PL) was forced to use four pitchers in the game. The Bison knocked out starter Greg Angelo (3-3), who pitched a no-hitter earlier this year, in the third.
Leadoff hitter Ben Allen, who extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a 1-for-2 performance in game one, reached base three times, while No. 2 hitter B.J. LaRosa was on base four times (three walks, one single) and scored a pair of runs. That duo drew five of the seven walks Bucknell registered.
Bison game two starter Jack Boehm provided a second straight strong start two outs into the sixth inning. However, he then allowed six straight hitters to reach base on three singles, a double, a walk and a hit by pitch as Lehigh scored five runs in the inning, all after Boehm retired the first two hitters in the frame on a pair of fly outs.
Over the first 5.2 innings, Boehm (4-3) yielded just five hits and retired nine in a row before the string of Mountain Hawk hitters reached base.
Bucknell built a 3-1 lead entering the sixth inning on Brouse's home run, an RBI single by LaRosa in the third and a Yoder RBI single in the fifth. Both LaRosa's and Yoder's RBI singles came with two outs.
The Bison tacked on a run in the eighth when Brouse led off with a walk, moved to second on a ground out and then scored on a Matt Lamore single into right center that was cut off before it rolled to the wall for extra bases. Lamore and Duffett, who was 3-for-7 in the doubleheader, collected two hits apiece in game two, combining for more than half of the Bison's hits.
Lehigh starter Mike Lebo (3-3) picked up the game two win as he pitched 7.0 innings, allowed six hits, four runs and struck out four while walking two. Cory Kent pitched the final two innings and yielded just the Lamore RBI single.
Bucknell's bullpen - Andrew Clarke, Ryan Ebner and Lamore - was effective in game two, yielding six hits and one run while striking out five. Lamore was especially strong, striking out four in his 2.1 innings of work. After allowing back-to-back singles to the first two hitters he faced, he retired seven of the next eight Mountain Hawks to end the game. Lamore has not allowed an earned run over his last four appearances, a span of 8.1 innings, and now ranks third on the team with a 3.50 ERA.
The Bison will close out their 2010 regular-season home campaign Tuesday with a single game against Keystone. First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m. at Depew Field.
