Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
St. Bonaventure
Walk-Off Hit By Krentzman Helps Bison Earn Doubleheader Split vs. St. Bonaventure
4/21/2015 8:14:00 PM | Baseball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Anthony Gingerelli hit two home runs, Joe Ogren homered once and Rob Krentzman had a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Bucknell baseball team to a 4-3 victory over St. Bonaventure in the nightcap of a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at Depew Field. The Bonnies captured game one by a 6-3 score.
Both ends of the doubleheader were scheduled to go seven innings, but the teams needed extra innings in game two. The game was tied 3-3 following the seventh and neither team threatened in the eighth and ninth innings. St. Bonaventure (14-15-2) did get two baserunners on in the top of the 10th, but a fly ball to left field resulted in a double play when a baserunner strayed too far from second base without tagging up.
With the score still tied 3-3, Bucknell (20-21) came to bat in the bottom of the 10th to face reliever Drew Teller, who was replacing Thad Johnson, who had shut the Bison out on three hits over 3.0 innings of relief.
Ogren led off the inning with a double to left-center. After Mike Korchak was intentionally walked, Krentzman, who had entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh, came to bat and his looping single fell in short right-center between a number of Bonnie fielders. Ogren got a good read that the ball would not be caught and raced home from second with the winning run.
Gingerelli and Ogren staked the Bison with an early 2-0 lead with back-to-back home runs in the first inning. Gingerelli then hit his second home run of the game with one out in the fifth. It marked the first multi-homer game by a Bison since Jon Mayer last April against Holy Cross.
The top three hitters in the Bucknell lineup – Brett Smith, Gingerelli and Ogren – combined to go 7-for-14 with three RBIs and four runs scored in the victory. Smith was 2-for-5, while Gingerelli was 3-for-4 and Ogren was 2-for-5.
Gingerelli's homer in the fifth gave the Bison a 3-1 lead. However. St. Bonaventure tied the game on a Johnson two-run single in the top of the sixth.
Bucknell had a great opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the seventh, but was unable to convert. Smith reached on a one-out single and then moved to third on a single by Gingerelli. Ogren came to the plate and ended up grounding right to the third baseman. The contact play was on and Smith sprinted home, but the throw went to the catcher, who was able to tag a diving Smith just before his hand touched home plate.
The Bison finished with 12 hits in game two. Mayer, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning, was 2-for-2.
Dan Keller started on the mound for Bucknell and pitched well. The junior retired the side in order in three of the first five innings and ended up pitching 5.1 innings and allowing just five hits and striking out four.
Mike Stephens relieved Keller to face Johnson in the sixth. After giving up the game-tying single, he retired the next eight hitters in a row. He faced 13 hitters in his 3.2 innings of work and only twice did someone reach base and both times it was Johnson, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the ninth.
Connor Van Hoose (1-2) earned the win for the Bison by pitching a scoreless top of the 10th.
Aaron Phillips started for St. Bonaventure and pitched two outs into the fifth. Nate Grant (1.1 IP) and Johnson (3.0 IP) proceeded to hold Bucknell scoreless over 4.1 innings.
St. Bonaventure got off to a good start in game one with three unearned runs in the top of the first. The Bonnies added one run in the second by capitalizing on a leadoff walk and then Johnson hit a two-run home run to left in the fourth.
Bison starter Jordan Holtz (1-1) was charged with the first for runs as he allowed three hits and walked two hitters in 2.0 innings. Max Kra came in to start the third inning and got stronger the deeper he went into the game. He retired nine in a row from the fourth inning to the seventh inning and the only runs he allowed were on the fourth-inning home run.
Bucknell totaled nine hits in the game, including seven against starter Steven Klimek (3-5), but only managed two runs in the first and a single run in the fifth. Gingerelli had a pair of RBI doubles, while Sam Clark had an RBI single to account for the Bison runs.
Johnson pitched the final two innings of game one to earn his seventh save of the year. He finished the day 3-for-6 with four RBIs and two runs scored and he pitched five scoreless innings, while allowing just five hits and striking out five.
Gingerelli finished the doubleheader 5-for-7 with four RBIs and two runs scored. He upped his season average to .292 and he now ranks second on the team with 14 multi-hit games. Ogren was 4-for-9 with four runs scored and he now has a team-best 15 multi-hit games.
Bucknell, which is 10-7 at Depew Field this year, will wrap up its home schedule Wednesday at 3 p.m. vs. Towson.
