Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lehigh
Baseball Posts First Doubleheader Sweep of Season, Defeats Lehigh 11-2 and 4-3
4/3/2016 7:13:00 PM | Baseball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Sam Clark was 4-for-7 with three runs scored and three RBIs, Spencer Stokes was 3-for-7 with a pair of extra-base hits, Brett Smith was 4-for-8 with two runs scored and Bucknell received strong pitching performance from three different hurlers as it swept a doubleheader from Lehigh Sunday afternoon at sunny, but chilly, Depew Field. The Bison claimed game one 11-2 and won game two 4-3 thanks to an eighth-inning RBI single by Luke Johnson.
Bucknell (12-17, 3-1 PL) won three of the four games in the weekend series. It was also the first doubleheader sweep of the season for the Bison, who had split their first five twinbills.
Bucknell was the stronger team in Sunday's two games, outhitting Lehigh 22-10 and outscoring the Mountain Hawks 15-5. The Bison committed just one error, compared to three for Lehigh (10-17, 1-3 PL). Mountain Hawk pitchers issued 11 walks in the two games, compared to six for the Bucknell pitchers.
Dan Keller (1-3) was terrific in game one for the Bison as he logged his first career complete game and picked up his first career victory. The senior right-hander retired the first 10 hitters he faced and brought a shutout into the fifth inning. He struck out Connor Donovan, who hit three home runs on Saturday, to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth and the only two runs that were scored came in the fifth on back-to-back fielder's choices.
Keller finished the game with a career-high seven strikeouts and allowed just four hits in his 7.0 innings. Just one of the two runs scored against him was earned.
Bucknell's offense was strong behind Keller, eclipsing double figures for the third time this season. The Bison scored in each of the first three innings, including plating six runs in the third when 12 hitters stepped to the plate.
Smith, Stokes, Clark and Tommy Pennington had two hits apiece in game one for Bucknell, while Danny Rafferty, Joe Ogren, Clark and Pennington drove in two runs apiece.
Ogren had the big hit in that six-run third inning that featured five walks and four hits as he registered a two-run triple to right field.
The Bison added two additional runs in the fifth when Clark's two-RBI single up the middle pushed their lead back to nine runs (11-2) after Lehigh had narrowed it with two runs in the top half of the frame. Clark finished the weekend 7-for-13, equaling Smith for the most hits in the series.
Lehigh used four pitchers in game one, including three in that sixth inning. Starter Ethan Frohman (1-2) was tagged with the loss for giving up seven hits and seven runs in 2.2 innings.
Game two may have been the most competitive contest of the weekend and it ended with Johnson and two freshmen pitchers being the heroes.
Lehigh tied the score at 3-3 in the top of the seventh when Mike Garzillo doubled and then took a chance and narrowly stole third. He then scored on a ground out.
The Bison went down in order in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a double play, but re-took the lead in the eighth. Clark got the rally started with a single. Mike Korchak followed with a single through the right side, allowing Clark to get to third. Johnson then singled to right-center, allowing Clark to trot home with the go-ahead run that proved to be the winning run.
The Mountain Hawks defense prevented the Bison from scoring even more runs in the eighth when they brought the infield in with the bases loaded and shortstop Mackey Price stopped a Smith grounder and narrowly got speedy pinch runner Chuckie Scales on a force play at home.
Freshman reliever Jeff Gottesman (1-2), who retired the final eight batters he faced, and 11 of 13 overall, retired Lehigh in order in the ninth to clinch the victory and the sweep for the Bison.
Gottesman, who allowed just one hit and one run while striking out three in 3.2 innings, relieved fellow rookie Jack Grabek one out into the sixth. Grabek yielded five hits and two runs in 5.1 innings and did a great job working out of a couple of jams.
In the third inning, Grabek struck out Donovan with the bases loaded to end the frame and keep Bucknell's deficit at a manageable 2-0.
In the fifth he issued a leadoff walk, but proceeded to strike out the No. 3 and No. 4 hitters in the Lehigh lineup to strand the runner on second base.
In the sixth, Gottesman came on with two runners in scoring position and just one out. He walked the first hitter he faced to load the bases, but got Anthony Rinaldi to pop out to first base and then struck out Jacen Nalesnik to end the inning with no runs scored.
After the Mountain Hawks took an early 2-0 lead with two runs in the second, the Bison tied the score with two runs in the fourth. A one-out RBI triple into the right field corner by Clark cut the deficit in half. A grounder to short by Alex O'Neill followed, allowing Clark to run home with the tying run.
A triple by Smith in the fifth had a hand in giving Bucknell its 3-2 lead. Smith, who has a team-high seven triples this season, hit a one-out triple to right. Rafferty followed with a line drive single to center to drive him home.
Lehigh reliever Kevin Boswick (0-2) was nearly as effective in relief as Gottesman. He pitched 3.1 innings, but gave up four hits and the run in the eighth inning. He struck out two and walked a pair. Starter Matt Kozemchak went 4.2 innings and yielded six hits and three runs.
Bucknell finished the weekend series hitting .316 in the four games. The Bison totaled 13 extra-base hits, including five by Stokes and three by Smith.
Sunday's contests marked the final home games for Bucknell until it hosts Cornell in a non-league game April 20. The Bison will play their next 11 on the road starting with Wednesday's 3:30 p.m. contest at St. Bonaventure.
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