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Voytovich, Keys Go Deep, but Baseball Falls 5-3 to No. 5 Louisville
2/19/2023 4:45:00 PM | Baseball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Grant Voytovich and Sean Keys blasted Bucknell's first home runs of the season, but Louisville closer Ben Wiegman escaped a ninth-inning jam to help the fifth-ranked Cardinals hold off the Bison 5-3 on Sunday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium.
Louisville, the preseason favorite in the Atlantic Coast Conference, swept the three-game, season-opening series. For Bucknell, the No. 2 choice in the Patriot League preseason poll, had plenty of bright spots, particularly on Sunday in a well-pitched game that hung in the balance until the final out.
Bucknell took its first lead in the series with a two-out rally in the top of the first. With two outs and nobody on, Tyler Dunn laced a double into the left-field corner, Billy Kender beat out an infield hit, and Keys went the other way for an RBI single.
Louisville responded with some two-out lightning of its own in the bottom of the first. The Cardinals put their first two men on against Bison starter Tyler O'Neill, but Jacob Corson, starting his first game behind the plate, nailed the speedy Christian Knapczyk at third for a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play. But Louisville followed with four straight two-out RBI singles to take a 4-1 lead.
O'Neill and relievers Nick Mulvey, Theo Farynick, and Ryan Osinski were terrific the rest of the way, combining to allow just one run on three hits over Louisville's final seven turns at bat.
Voytovich made it a 4-2 game with a solo shot to left-center in the top of the third, and then in the sixth, Keys launched a drive an estimated 430 feet off the batter's eye in straightaway center field to bring the Bison within a run.
O'Neill departed after working a 1-2-3 third inning, and Mulvey worked two scoreless frames before running into trouble in the sixth. The Cardinals had not managed a hit since that first-inning rally, but followed a leadoff walk with back-to-back bunt singles. Nolan Smith drove in a run with a sharp single to right, but Mulvey did well to prevent further damage. A week ground ball to Tyler Dunn at first resulted in a force out at the plate, and then Dunn snared Isaac Humphrey's line drive and dove to the bag to double off the runner and end the inning with the Bison down just 5-3.
Farynick, a senior pitching for the first time in two seasons after coming back from an injury, and Osinski, a freshman making his collegiate debut, were both impressive in relief. Farynick fanned two in the seventh, as did Osinski in an overpowering performance in the eighth.
Corson was hit by a pitch to start the ninth, and after Wiegman replaced Greg Farone on the mound for Louisville, Voytovich worked a four-pitch walk to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. But Wiegman induced a 4-6-3 double play and then ended it with a strikeout, the 15th of the day for the Cardinals' staff.
Both teams finished with eight hits, with Dunn and Keys collecting two apiece for the Bison. Tyeler Hawkins was the lone Cardinal with two hits. All eight of Louisville's hits were singles.
Bucknell did not commit an error in the three-game series and will now get set to play three games in Charleston, S.C., next weekend. The Bison will face a fourth straight ACC squad in Boston College on Friday, followed by games against Ball State and Merrimack.
Louisville, the preseason favorite in the Atlantic Coast Conference, swept the three-game, season-opening series. For Bucknell, the No. 2 choice in the Patriot League preseason poll, had plenty of bright spots, particularly on Sunday in a well-pitched game that hung in the balance until the final out.
Bucknell took its first lead in the series with a two-out rally in the top of the first. With two outs and nobody on, Tyler Dunn laced a double into the left-field corner, Billy Kender beat out an infield hit, and Keys went the other way for an RBI single.
Louisville responded with some two-out lightning of its own in the bottom of the first. The Cardinals put their first two men on against Bison starter Tyler O'Neill, but Jacob Corson, starting his first game behind the plate, nailed the speedy Christian Knapczyk at third for a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play. But Louisville followed with four straight two-out RBI singles to take a 4-1 lead.
O'Neill and relievers Nick Mulvey, Theo Farynick, and Ryan Osinski were terrific the rest of the way, combining to allow just one run on three hits over Louisville's final seven turns at bat.
Voytovich made it a 4-2 game with a solo shot to left-center in the top of the third, and then in the sixth, Keys launched a drive an estimated 430 feet off the batter's eye in straightaway center field to bring the Bison within a run.
O'Neill departed after working a 1-2-3 third inning, and Mulvey worked two scoreless frames before running into trouble in the sixth. The Cardinals had not managed a hit since that first-inning rally, but followed a leadoff walk with back-to-back bunt singles. Nolan Smith drove in a run with a sharp single to right, but Mulvey did well to prevent further damage. A week ground ball to Tyler Dunn at first resulted in a force out at the plate, and then Dunn snared Isaac Humphrey's line drive and dove to the bag to double off the runner and end the inning with the Bison down just 5-3.
Farynick, a senior pitching for the first time in two seasons after coming back from an injury, and Osinski, a freshman making his collegiate debut, were both impressive in relief. Farynick fanned two in the seventh, as did Osinski in an overpowering performance in the eighth.
Corson was hit by a pitch to start the ninth, and after Wiegman replaced Greg Farone on the mound for Louisville, Voytovich worked a four-pitch walk to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. But Wiegman induced a 4-6-3 double play and then ended it with a strikeout, the 15th of the day for the Cardinals' staff.
Both teams finished with eight hits, with Dunn and Keys collecting two apiece for the Bison. Tyeler Hawkins was the lone Cardinal with two hits. All eight of Louisville's hits were singles.
Bucknell did not commit an error in the three-game series and will now get set to play three games in Charleston, S.C., next weekend. The Bison will face a fourth straight ACC squad in Boston College on Friday, followed by games against Ball State and Merrimack.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Carson Liggett (1-0)
L: O'Neill, Tyler (0-1)
S: Ben Wiegman (1)
Batting:
2B: Dunn, Tyler 1
HR: Voytovich, Grant 1 ; Keys, Sean 1
RBI: Voytovich, Grant 1 ; Keys, Sean 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Voytovich, Grant 1 ; Dunn, Tyler 1 ; Keys, Sean 1
HBP: Corson, Jacob 1
Batting:
RBI: Ryan McCoy 1 ; Patrick Forbes 1 ; Haven Mangrum 1 ; Tyeler Hawkins 1 ; Noah Smith 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Isaac Humphrey 1 ; Ryan McCoy 1 ; Patrick Forbes 1 ; Haven Mangrum 1 ; Eddie King Jr. 1
CS: Christian Knapczyk 1
HBP: Jack Payton 1 ; Logan Beard 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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