Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Cornell
Ninth-Inning Rally Comes Up Short as Baseball Falls to Cornell 3-2
3/20/2016 3:58:00 PM | Baseball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell baseball team closed out its four-game home-opening series against Cornell Sunday afternoon at Depew Field and came up just short, falling to the Big Red by a 3-2 score. The Bison scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh and left two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth after trailing 3-0 at one point in the contest.
Cornell (6-4) built its 3-0 lead with a run in the second on a ground out by C.J. Price and on a sixth-inning two-run home run to right by Dale Wickham.
Bucknell (7-12) got two runs back in the bottom of the seventh, which was the only inning the Bison leadoff hitter reached base. Joe Ogren led off with a hit by pitch and later came around to score on a wild pitch. Sam Clark also had a two-out RBI single to plate Spencer Stokes. Clark ended up being left stranded on second base at the conclusion of the frame.
Bucknell mounted a rally in the bottom of the ninth. Mike Korchak reached on a one-out fielding error by second baseman Eliot Lowell. Pinch runner Chuckie Scales moved to third on a Stokes single up the middle. Stokes later stole second, putting the winning run in scoring position. However, Jon Mayer followed with a ground out to second and relief pitcher Justin Lewis got pinch hitter Jared Drizin to ground out to short to end the game.
Lewis earned his second save of the year for retiring the only hitter he faced. He was the fourth Cornell pitcher in the contest. Starter Peter Lannoo (1-0) logged 6.2 innings and allowed just four hits and two runs. He allowed just two baserunners over the first six innings. He struck out two without walking a hitter. In fact, the Big Red did not issue any walks in the game.
Dan Keller (0-2) had a strong start for the Bison as well. He pitched a career-high 7.0 innings and allowed six hits and three runs while striking out four. Freshman P.J. Strahm pitched the final two innings and allowed just one baserunner who was erased trying to steal.
Brett Smith had an infield single in the third inning to extend his hitting streak to a career-best nine games for Bucknell. Danny Rafferty and Stokes were both 2-for-4.
Cornell claimed three of the four games in the series that began Friday with all three of its wins by three runs or fewer. Bucknell's victory was a 12-3 win on Saturday.
The Bison will play a 3 p.m. game at Binghamton on Tuesday before returning home for a four-game series against Yale next weekend.
