Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Baseball Set to Host Tuesday Doubleheader vs. Binghamton
3/26/2012 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 26, 2012
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell baseball team will host Binghamton for a doubleheader Tuesday at Depew Field. First pitch for the first game is slated for 1 p.m. The second game will start shortly after the end of the first game.
The Bison, now 11-10, began last week with 7-3 victory at Mount St. Mary's and are coming off a 2-2 weekend series split at Saint Joseph's. Bucknell captured the first two games, including the first game of the Saturday doubleheader, to post its second four-game winning streak this season.
Sophomore lefty Dan Weigel (5-1) gave the Bison yet another strong performance, pitching 7.2 innings and giving up three runs in the first game of the series. Junior Robb Scott hit the game-winning two-out single to give the Bison a 4-3 lead in the eighth inning before senior reliever Alex Cillo shut the door on the Hawks to earn the save. Bucknell went on to earn another 4-3 victory over Saint Joseph's as senior southpaw Ryan Ebner (2-3) delivered a six-inning, three-hit performance before giving way to Cillo who earned his second save in as many games. With five saves on the year, Cillo is now fifth-all time in Bucknell history with eight career saves and is tied for sixth in single season saves.
The Bison would go on to lose the nightcap of the Saturday doubleheader despite an impressive start by freshman righty Bryson Hough who gave up two runs and five hits over eight innings. Bucknell also dropped the Sunday finale, giving them a 2-2 series split with the Hawks and a 3-2 record for the week, keeping their season record above .500 at 11-10.
Over the weekend, the Bison pitched their way to a 4.22 team ERA and held Saint Joseph's to a .256 batting average. The starters had an ERA of 3.81 and covered 26 innings of the 32 innings pitched in the series. The offense was led by Robb Scott who hit .538 and collected two RBIs, while playing in all four games. Bucknell's offense hit a combined .269 with nine extra base hits over the weekend.
The Bison will be taking on a 6-8 Binghamton team coming off a 3-1 series victory after visiting Lehigh this past weekend. The Bearcats are hitting .271 as a team and are led by freshman outfielder Zach Blanden, junior infielder Jordan Smucker, and freshman catcher Jake Thomas. Blanden is hitting .444 in 12 games and leads the team in runs scored with 10. Smucker and Thomas have both played in all 14 games on the season and have accounted for 21 of the team's 57 RBIs. They are hitting .345 and .314, respectively. The Bearcats have pitched to a 4.75 team ERA this season. Senior right-hander Mike Augliera has logged 28 innings over four starts, earning a 2-2 record and has an impressive 1.29 ERA. He has struck out 30 and walked only one and has given up only 15 hits all season.
Bucknell and Binghamton have split their previous meetings 3-3. The two schools started their matchups in 1991 and last played in 2006.
Binghamton will be the final opponent for the Bison before beginning conference play. Bucknell will begin facing Patriot League opponents this upcoming weekend when it hosts Holy Cross for a four-game series starting Saturday March 31. The series will feature Saturday and Sunday doubleheaders. Both days will begin with noon first pitches and live audio broadcasts can be heard on 90.5 WVBU and SportsJuice.com.
