Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Bradley
Bucknell Baseball Drops 6-5 Decision to Bradley
3/14/2012 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 14, 2012
AUBURNDALE, Fla. - Bradley scored three runs in the top of the first inning and Bucknell could not overcome the early deficit as the Bison baseball team dropped a 6-5 decision to the Braves Wednesday evening at Lake Myrtle Park. David Duffett was 3-for-5 and Bob Donato had a pair of doubles to extend his hitting streak to a team-high 12 games to lead the Bucknell offense.
Russell Seidell's excellent relief pitching kept the Bison in the game. Starter Taylor Runge (0-1) walked the first four hitters in the game before he was lifted in favor of Seidell, who logged 5.1 innings, struck out three, yielded seven hits and gave up three runs. Seidell, who had pitched just one-third of an inning this season entering the game, retired eight out of nine hitters at one point, spanning the second, third, fourth and fifth innings.
Seidell got out of the first-inning jam when Donato gunned down a runner at home and then Bob Schuch grounded into a double play.
Bucknell (7-6) chipped away at the 3-0 Bradley lead with single runs in the second and third innings. Gerry Runyan scored on a ball hit by Matt Busch that was booted by shortstop Jason Leblebijian in the second and he then knocked in Carter Bumgardner with a ground out in the third. Bumgardner had led off the inning with a single.
Bradley (8-5-1) extended its lead to 6-2 in the middle innings, but the Bison had another comeback in them.
Luke Lombardi, Matt Busch and Robb Scott, the bottom three hitters in the lineup, led off the sixth with successive singles to load the bases and knock reliever Graig Weber from the game. Rob Kennedy came in and did his job, coaxing a pop out from Donato and recording a pair of strikeouts. However, in the process he balked in a run and uncorked a pair of wild pitches that enabled a pair of runs to score and bring Bucknell to within 6-5.
Alex Cillo's presence on the mound gave Bucknell a chance to win the game in the latter innings. He entered the contest one hitter into the seventh and held the Braves scoreless over the final three innings. He struck out four during that span and none of his three walks came around to score.
Unfortunately, Bucknell had just one baserunner in the final three innings and that was when pinch hitter Mark Figgie reached on a strikeout. The Bison did have the top of their lineup due up in the ninth, but Danny Gifford retired them in order for his third save of the season.
Jacob Booden (1-0), who pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning thanks to a caught stealing, earned the win for Bradley.
Bucknell out-hit Bradley 10-8 with Duffett and Donato combining for half of the Bison hits. Donato's two doubles gives him 48 in his career, extending his own program record.
The Braves' leadoff hitter Rob Elliott was 2-for-3 and David Compitello also had a pair of hits.
Bucknell, which is 1-3 on its trip to Florida, will play Eastern Illinois Thursday at 2 p.m. at Lake Myrtle.
