Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
James Madison
Baseball Drops Season Opener at James Madison, 9-3
2/19/2016 7:06:00 PM | Baseball
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Bucknell junior third baseman Sam Clark was 2-for-4 with his first career home run, and Joe Ogren and Mike Korchak drove in runs with sacrifice flies, but the Bison baseball team lost its season opener to James Madison by a 9-3 score Friday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Park. It was the first of four games this weekend between the two teams.
The top four hitters in the James Madison lineup were a combined 6-for-16 with seven runs scored and five RBIs. No. 3 hitter Kyle McPherson was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs, while cleanup hitter Brett Johnson hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning. The Dukes finished the game with 10 hits, including six for extra bases.
The Bison lineup posted seven hits in the game with Clark leading the way. He singled leading off the fifth inning and later scored on Korchak's sac fly, and he homered leading off the seventh.
Bucknell's first hit against James Madison starter Aaron Hoover (1-0) did not come until Danny Rafferty's one-out single in the fourth inning. At that point the Dukes had built a 3-0 advantage.
James Madison plated two unearned runs in the fifth that knocked Bison starting pitcher Andrew Andreychik (0-1) from the game, and scored three more in the sixth on Johnson's home run.
Four-year starter Andreychik pitched 4.1 innings and allowed five hits and five runs (two earned) while striking out three. He was the first of four Bucknell pitchers in the game as Max Kra (1.2 IP), Tommy Gambon (1.0 IP) and Austin Zimmerman (1.0 IP) followed. Gambon and Zimmerman combined for four strikeouts in their two innings of work.
Hoover logged 6.0 innings of work for James Madison. Three relievers pitched one inning each behind him. The Bison had two hits and two runs against the bullpen.
Saturday's Bucknell-James Madison will start at 1 p.m. Sunday's series finale is slated for 2 p.m.
