Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Baseball Travels to Towson Tuesday
4/9/2012 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 9, 2012
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell baseball team will travel to Maryland to play Towson in a weekday matchup against the Tigers on Tuesday. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. on April 10.
The Bison split a four-game series against Navy this past weekend, winning the first and last games of the series. The first game featured extra-inning heroics from senior third baseman David Duffett, who hit a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Bucknell a 3-2 victory. Duffett finished 2-for-4 with all three of the team's RBIs. Sophomore lefty Dan Weigel continued his impressive campaign with six strong innings in which he allowed seven hits, one walk, and only one unearned run whole striking out four. Senior closer Alex Cillo allowed a game-tying run in the seventh inning but would go on to earn the win, pitching a total of four innings and allowing only one hit and two walks while striking out five batters.
Bucknell dropped the middle two games of the series despite steady starting pitching. Freshman righty Bryson Hough started the second game of the Saturday doubleheader and pitched eight innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out four. Hough has gone eight innings in each of his last three starts, striking out 13 and compiling a 2.63 ERA over that span.
In the first game of the Sunday doubleheader, senior lefty Ryan Ebner tossed a complete game, going seven innings and allowing three runs (two earned) and striking out eight. Ebner was saddled with the loss as Navy's winning run crossed the plate on a fielding error. The senior has rebounded from a slow start and has a 3.09 ERA over his last five starts, going 2-2. He also has a 1.80 ERA over his last two starts, covering 10 innings in which he has struck out 12 and allowed only three hits.
The Bison rebounded to win the final game of the series with a 10-3 victory behind an offensive outburst. Bucknell tallied 14 hits and 10 runs and drew five walks. In the game, senior centerfielder Bob Donato collected two hits and an RBI, Duffett added two hits, a run, and two RBIs, junior second baseman Travis Clark had two hits, two runs, and one RBI, and freshman first baseman Rob Krentzman went 3-for-3 with three runs and one RBI. Senior catcher Scott Reed had a pinch-hit bases-loaded, three-RBI triple in the game. Junior right hander Dan Goldstein pitched six innings, giving up three runs, eight hits, and two walks while striking out seven. Senior lefty Russell Seidell finished off the game going three innings and allowing only one walk and one hit to pick up his first career save. The Bison pitching staff had a 2.31 ERA over the weekend while the offense hit .264, almost 40 points higher than Navy.
The Bison stand at 3-5 in Patriot League play and 16-17 overall and are fourth in the Patriot League. Krentzman is batting .667 against Patriot League opponents to lead the Bison. Others off to hot conference starts are junior designated hitter Carter Bumgardner (.400), Donato (.333), and Clark (.321). Weigel is 1-0 with a 0.69 Patriot League ERA and has allowed just one earned run in 13 innings. Xavier Hammond has not allowed an earned run in five Patriot League innings over two games. Bucknell has a 3.49 team ERA against Patriot League opponents.
Several Bison are among the Patriot League leaders this season. Donato leads the Patriot League with a .405 batting average, 49 hits, six home runs, and 81 total bases. He is also tied for first with 12 doubles second with 27 RBIs, and third with 27 runs scored. Duffett is third in the league with 26 RBIs, 42 hits, and 55 total bases. Weigel is currently third in the league with a 2.47 season ERA and leads the league in innings pitched with 54.2.
The 15-16 Tigers are coming off of a 2-1 series victory over Old Dominion this past weekend that included an extra inning 4-3 victory in the rubber match. Towson is led by sophomore outfielder Dominic Fratantuono and freshman Brendan Butler on offense. Fratantuono is hitting .356 with five doubles, three triples, three home runs, and 16 RBIs, a .504 on-base percentage, and eight steals. Butler is batting .289 with one home run and 19 RBIs with seven stolen bases. The Tigers hit .256 as a team and score 4.84 runs per game. Junior right hander Michael Trionfo leads the Towson pitching staff with a 6-1 record and a team-best 2.72 ERA in a team-high 46.1 innings. The pitching staff comes into the game with a 5.37 ERA and allows 5.94 runs per game.
The Bucknell-Towson series dates back to 1980 as the Tigers hold a 26-13 all-time advantage over the Bison. Bucknell holds a 2-1 record over the past two seasons, including a 1-1 record in a doubleheader at Depew Field last season. In the 7-1 victory last season, Donato went 2-for-4 with a solo and a three-run home run for his first career mutli-home run game. Senior outfielder Gerry Runyan and Reed both had two hits in the contest and Scott added two RBIs. Current Bison pitchers Goldstein, Weigel, and Seidell combined to pitch six innings and allow only three hits and one walk. The first game, an 8-1 loss, featured a solo home run by junior infielder Scott Glass, the first of his career. In the single-game 2010 matchup, Clark went 2-for-2 with one run, two doubles, and three RBIs while Donato went 4-for-6 with two runs, two doubles, and an RBI in the 12-3 Bison victory. In two career games against Towson, Donato is 6-for-10 with four runs, two doubles, two home runs, and five RBIs, while Clark is 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs.
After facing Towson, the Bison will host Lehigh for a four-game series this weekend. The set of games will include Saturday and Sunday doubleheaders. First pitches for both days will be at noon at Depew Field. Retiring Bison head coach Gene Depew will be honored prior to Saturday's doubleheader while Sunday's pregame festivities will include Senior Day ceremonies.
