Bucknell University Athletics
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Dartmouth
Baseball Wraps Up Florida Trip with 6-4 Loss to Darmouth
3/16/2016 9:25:00 PM | Baseball
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Dustin Shirley knocked in two runs with a two-out triple in the top of the ninth inning to break a 4-4 deadlock and give Dartmouth what proved to be the winning runs in a 6-4 victory over Bucknell Wednesday at Chain of Lakes Stadium. It was the final game of a five-game trip to Florida for the Bison, who are now 6-9 on the year.
Dartmouth (1-6) scored single runs in the first and fourth innings, but Bucknell answered with the tying run in the bottom half both times. The game was back-and-forth in the later innings as the Bison took their first lead with a run in the bottom of the seventh, but Dartmouth went back on top with two runs in the top of the eighth. Bucknell then tied it up in the bottom of the eighth, scoring the tying run on a passed ball.
Brett Smith, Danny Rafferty and Jared Drizin had two hits apiece for the Bison. All three also had one RBI. Drizin was making his first career start at DH.
Bucknell used three freshmen and senior Austin Zimmerman on the mound. Starter Jack Grabek yielded just three hits and two runs (one earned) in 6.0 innings. P.J. Strahm, Zimmerman and Christian Tailor followed out of the bullpen. Tailor struck out two in his 1.1 innings, but was tagged with the loss for allowing the two unearned runs in the ninth. Three of Dartmouth's runs were unearned thanks to a pair of Bison errors.
The first run for the Bison in the bottom of the first came when Smith led off with one of the five triples hit in the game. Rafferty later knocked him in with a single to right.
A sac fly by Drizin tied the score at 2-2 in the fourth. Jon Mayer scored on the play after getting hit by a pitch earlier in the inning.
Smith knocked in the go-ahead run in the seventh with a one-out single. It was the third straight single for Bucknell as Drizin and Chuckie Scales had reached on singles just prior to the lineup turning over to Smith.
Rafferty scored the tying run on a passed ball in the bottom of the eighth.
A pair of two-out RBI triples by Thomas Roulis and Rob Emery led to Dartmouth's 4-3 lead in the eighth inning. Emery also had an RBI on a first-inning sac fly.
Dartmouth used just two pitchers. Starter Patrick Peterson pitched the first six innings and was touched for five hits and two runs. Beau Sulser (1-0) pitched the final three innings and earned his first win of the year. He gave up four hits and two runs.
Bucknell will return north and host Cornell in a four-game series at Depew Field this weekend. Doubleheaders start both days at noon.
