Bucknell Baseball Drops Narrow Game to Ball State in Season Opener, 8-7

Friday, February 18

Charleston, S.C.

12 p.m.

Bucknell University

0-1

Ball State

1-0

Ball State

BUCKNELL

Photo by: Marc Hagemeier

Bucknell Baseball Drops Narrow Game to Ball State in Season Opener, 8-7

2/18/2022 3:30:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Bucknell University baseball team, despite home runs from Brendan Lowery and Chris Cannizzaro, fell 8-7 to Ball State on Friday afternoon in the season opener for both teams.

The two teams managed five home runs combined in an exciting start to the 2022 season, with the Cardinals, picked second in the MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll after a 38-18 campaign in 2021, striking first in the top of the second with a solo shot to left field.

Ball State added another run in the third inning courtesy of a bases-loaded walk, but the Bison prevented further damage in the inning when senior pitcher Renn Lints entered the game, getting a big strikeout with the bases full to keep Bucknell within striking distance.

In the fourth, Lowery bludgeoned his first career home run over the left field fence to give Bucknell a 3-2 lead. Jacob Corson and Grant Voytovich started the inning with singles, before Lowery brought the duo home for Bucknell's first runs of the season.

Ball State answered right back with a three-run shot of its own in the fifth, when Hunter Dobbins hit a three-run home run to give the Cardinals the lead, 5-3. Ball State added one more in the inning on an error to claim a 6-3 lead.

Cannizzaro, the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year, brought Bucknell right back into the game in the bottom of the fifth, hitting his fifth career home run to bring home Anthony Sherwin to pull within one, 6-5, through five.

However, the Cardinals managed to plate a run each in the sixth and seventh to take an 8-5 lead.

Bucknell had its best chance to get back into the game in the bottom of the eighth. First-year Tyler Dunn started the proceedings with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 8-6. Dunn entered the game at first base in the seventh, notching his first career hit in his first at-bat in the Orange and Blue.

Jacob Terwilliger was then hit by a pitch, and Sherwin drew a walk on a 1-2 count to load the bases. The Bison added one more run on a wild pitch to score Dunn, but couldn't plate the tying run in the frame as it fell 8-7.

Dunn and Brady Swenson each made their collegiate debuts in the defeat, with Swenson pitching a clean ninth in just seven pitches to keep the Bison within one.

Jacob Corson managed Bucknell's only multi-hit day, going 2-for-5 from the plate. The Bison registered nine hits overall to Ball State's eight, leaving seven runners on base. Lowery's three RBIs were a career high, while Lints also pitched a career-best 2.1 innings in his relief appearance.

Bucknell returns to action tomorrow afternoon against Richmond for a 12 p.m. first pitch.