Bucknell University
Canisius
Bucknell Baseball Swept by Canisius, 10-5 & 7-1
4/7/2010 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 7, 2010
BUFFALO, N.Y. - One day after losing a heartbreaking one-run game at Penn State, the Bucknell baseball team traveled to Canisius and was swept in a doubleheader by the Golden Griffins Wednesday afternoon at rainy Demske Sports Complex. The Bison lost by scores of 10-5 and 7-1 and have now lost nine consecutive contests to non-league foes.
Bucknell (12-19) did go up 1-0 in both ends of the twinbill, but Canisius (19-11) scored in each of its final four at bats in game one and plated five runs in the bottom of the third in game two. Overall, the Griffs tallied at least three runs in an inning four times in the doubleheader.
The Bison used eight pitchers in the two games, with only one older than a sophomore, and that was junior Matt Foley (0-1), who has just 22.2 career innings pitched, including 3.0 in Wednesday's game one. He yielded four runs on three hits and struck out three. He exited the game with Bucknell trailing 3-1 and runners on second and third with none out in the fourth.
David Duffett and B.J. LaRosa were each 3-for-6 in the doubleheader with a pair of hits in game one and an additional one in game two. They combined for nearly half of the team's 15 hits in the doubleheader. LaRosa, who had a 12-game hitting streak earlier in the year, has now hit in seven straight contests, while Duffett has hit in three in a row.
In game one, which had a rain delay after the first inning, Bucknell went up 1-0 in the first inning on a one-out double by LaRosa that plated Ben Allen. However, Canisius scored three runs in the third, one in the fourth and three more in the fifth and sixth innings to put the game away. A two-run double by Perry Silverman in the third and a two-run home run by Ian Choy were the most notable hits during the scoring stretch.
Bucknell did narrow its deficit to 7-5 with four runs in the top of the sixth as it batted around. Four of the first five hitters in the inning reached against reliever Ryan Fennell, with a two-run double by Kevin Drozin the big blow. Bob Donato also drove in a run with a double after Fennell was lifted in favor of Andrew Van'tWout.
With their lead down to just two runs, the Griffs clinched the game with three runs in their half of the sixth off freshman reliever Matt Busch.
In game two, Canisius sent more than four hitters to the plate just once, but that was in the third inning when it batted around and plated five runs. Bison starter Russell Seidell retired the side in order in the first and second innings, but he yielded a single, two doubles and walked a pair of hitters in the third before being lifted. Ryan Ebner came on and gave up an RBI single to Brian Burton before getting Shayne Willson to ground out to end the inning.
That was all the runs Canisius would need as Griffs' starter Billy Martin allowed just six hits and one run on a wild pitch, in 6.0 innings of work as he improved to 3-3 on the season. The Bison did not have an extra-base hit until a Matt Lamore double in the sixth, and no Bucknell hitter had more than one hit.
Ebner, Dan Goldstein, Cal Tracy and Lamore provided solid relief out of the Bucknell bullpen, but Canisius scored single runs in the fifth and sixth despite sending only four hitters to the plate in each frame. The Griffs capitalized on a leadoff single by Silverman in the fifth and a leadoff walk by Burton in the sixth. Wild pitches both innings helped lead to the runs as well.
Canisius scored its 17 runs on just 14 hits and it left just three runners on base all day. Bucknell left 15 runners on base in the two games.
The Bison will return home this weekend after going 2-9 on their 11-game road trip. Bucknell will play 14 of its next 17 at Depew Field, starting with this weekend's four-game Patriot League series against Holy Cross. Doubleheaders both Saturday and Sunday will begin at 12 p.m. Sunday's will feature a radio broadcast on WVBU 90.5 and SportsJuice.com.
