Bucknell University
Bradley
Bradley Scores Three in Ninth to Defeat Bison Baseball 10-8
3/14/2016 7:38:00 PM | Baseball
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Bradley scored all 10 of its runs in the fifth inning and later and posted 14 of its 16 hits over that same span, culminating with three runs in the top of the ninth to turn a one-run deficit into a 10-8 victory over Bucknell on Monday at Chain of Lakes Stadium. It was the final game of a three-game series between the two teams.
Bucknell (5-8) posted a season-high 13 hits in the loss as eight members of the starting lineup had at least one hit and all nine players reached base at least once. No. 8 hitter Alex O'Neill was 2-for-2 with one run scored and No. 9 hitter Evan Klugerman, who was making his first career start at catcher in place of the resting Jon Mayer, was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Mark Powell and Danny Rafferty also had two hits apiece.
The Bison built a 4-0 lead and did not trail until Bradley (7-6) plated four runs in the top of the seventh. Bucknell retook the lead with two runs in the bottom of the eighth. Brett Smith's sac bunt allowed Chuckie Scales to score from third to tie the score and Powell followed with an RBI single to put the Bison up 8-7.
Four of Bradley's first five hitters in the ninth singled against Bucknell closer Rafferty (1-2). Hunter Robichaux got the final two outs in the frame, but not before the Braves batted around and took a 10-8 lead.
Rafferty led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, but Allan Beer got Spencer Stokes to ground into a double play and then struck out Sam Clark to earn his second save of the year.
Bucknell jumped on top in the bottom of the first when Powell walked and was driven home on a single by Rafferty, who is tied with Smith for the team lead in hits (16) this season.
The Bison added two more runs in the second. Mike Korchak led off the frame with his team-high second home run of the season. Later, Klugerman walked and was driven home on a one-out single by Powell.
A one-out single by O'Neill followed by an RBI double by Klugerman staked Bucknell to a 4-0 lead through four innings.
A two-out, two-run single by Smith in the sixth gave the Bison a 6-3 advantage.
Andrew Andreychik started on the mound for Bucknell. The senior retired 13 of the first 15 hitters he faced, but back-to-back singles by Beer and Zach Fairchild set up Andy Shadid for a three-run homer in the fifth.
Andreychik ended up pitching into the seventh inning, allowing nine hits and striking out four while walking just one. He departed in favor of Christian Tailor after giving up extra-base hits to two of the first three hitters in the seventh. The Braves ended up with four runs in the inning, but Tailor retired the side in order in the eighth.
Reliever Brent Strong (1-0), the fourth pitcher used by Bradley, earned the win for the Braves despite giving up three hits and two runs in his only inning of work.
Bucknell still has two games remaining on its spring break trip to Florida. The Bison will play Maine on Tuesday and Dartmouth on Wednesday.
