Saturday, April 13
Lewisburg, Pa.
12 p.m.
Bucknell University
2
vs
1
Lehigh
Baseball Gets Strong Pitching but Settles for Split with Lehigh
4/13/2024 7:24:00 PM | Baseball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell baseball team received two well-pitched games on Saturday but had to settle for a doubleheader split with Lehigh, winning the opener 2-1 before falling 3-1 in the nightcap at windy Depew Field.
Tyler O'Neill pitched a complete-game gem in the opener, and he has now gone at least six innings while allowing three runs or fewer in each of his last five starts. O'Neill struck out seven in a complete-game win over Lafayette last week, and he matched that feat against the Mountain Hawks in Saturday's opener.
Freshmen Jake Schultz and Jonathan Adelmann along with senior Nikhil Patel combined to allow no earned runs and only six hits while striking out 12 in the nine-inning nightcap, but an eighth-inning error helped Lehigh break a 1-1 deadlock.
Bucknell fell to 14-20 overall and 6-11 in the Patriot League, while Lehigh is now 19-14-1, 6-7. The Mountain Hawks have won three of the first four head-to-head contests and have now clinched the season series.
These two teams will meet again on Sunday. That start time has been moved up an hour to a noon first pitch, with possible inclement weather in the forecast for later in the afternoon.
Game 1: Bucknell 2, Lehigh 1
O'Neill (3-4) and Cole Leaman (1-1) locked up in a tight pitchers' duel in the seven-inning opener, and both hurlers benefitted from some outstanding defense behind them.
Grant Voytovich made a sensational diving catch on the warning track on Tyler Young's fly ball that rode the jet stream in the second inning. Billy Kender made a nice catch on a Jake Whitlinger line drive and then doubled a runner off second base to keep the game scoreless in the third inning.
The Bison took the lead in the bottom of the third when Brady Karp led off with a single, moved to second on an error, and then scored on Jacob Corson's infield hit. Lehigh quickly tied it in the top of the fourth on a two-out RBI single by Young.
O'Neill picked off pinch-runner Robbie Carvelli to end the top of the sixth, and the Bison broke through with the go-ahead run in their final at-bat. Voytovich started the rally with a single and moved up on a ground ball. Brandon Coughlan replaced Leaman on the mound for Lehigh and balked Voytovich to third. Coughlan made a big pitch to get a ground ball to third to keep Voytovich there, but then he committed a second balk to force in the go-ahead run. Chris Morabito followed with a base hit anyway, but Coughlan kept the Bison to just the one run.
O'Neill came back out for the seventh and gave up a leadoff single to Young. But he struck out Andrew Kohl, got Sam Holtz on a foul pop, and then spun a beautiful breaking ball to strike out pinch-hitter Andrew Nole and end the game with a flourish.
Voytovich finished 2-for-3 for the Bison, while Young and Whitlinger collected two hits each for Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks outhit the Bison 7-6 in the game.
Game 2 – Lehigh 3, Bucknell 1
It was another pitchers' duel in game two, with starters Marcus Danchision and Jake Schultz allowing single runs in the first inning but nothing more. Danchision, who came with a league-best 1.98 ERA, allowed just a run on three hits over seven innings, and then Julio Ermigiotti worked the final two innings for his second save.
Schultz allowed only an unearned run on three hits, striking out five and walking two in five innings. Adelmann (1-4) took the tough-luck loss, allowing two unearned runs in the eighth. He struck out five and allowed three hits in his three innings of work, and Patel needed only 12 pitches to navigate a 1-2-3 ninth.
Lehigh's run in the top of the first came when Whitlinger led off with a single, stole second, and went to third when the throw went into center field. He scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Cochran.
Bucknell got the run right back when Kender led off with a base hit on a full count and scored on a two-out RBI single by Michael Trommer.
Whitlinger made an outstanding running catch in the right-center gap to rob Voytovich in the fourth and quell a potential Bison rally, but both starters had settled in nicely by then.
Adelmann got some help from shortstop Karp in the sixth. After a leadoff walk, Karp made a diving stop on Rafe Perich's ground ball up the middle and made the flip to second for the force out. Adelmann then barehanded Young's comebacker to end the inning.
Andrew Kohl led off the seventh with a double for Lehigh. Adelmann came back with two straight strikeouts, and after a wild pitch moved Kohl to third, the big righthander got Braydon Hubbard on a fly ball to end the threat.
The Mountain Hawks finally broke the draw in the eighth. With two on and two outs, Trystan Crawford hit a fly ball to center that Voytovich had clip off his glove, allowing both runners to score. Adelmann's fifth strikeout stranded the runner at third and kept it a 3-1 game.
Ermigiotti, who worked 6.1 innings in relief in a win over Bucknell last Sunday, pitched a 1-2-3 eighth but then found trouble in the ninth. Corson led off with a walk, Voytovich singled with one out, and pinch-hitter Matt Alexander walked with two outs to load the bases. But Ermigiotti won an all-freshman battle, getting Chris Morabito on fly ball to right to end the game.
Lehigh outhit the Bison 6-4 in the game, with Whitlinger (2-4) the only player on either side with multiple hits.
Tyler O'Neill pitched a complete-game gem in the opener, and he has now gone at least six innings while allowing three runs or fewer in each of his last five starts. O'Neill struck out seven in a complete-game win over Lafayette last week, and he matched that feat against the Mountain Hawks in Saturday's opener.
Freshmen Jake Schultz and Jonathan Adelmann along with senior Nikhil Patel combined to allow no earned runs and only six hits while striking out 12 in the nine-inning nightcap, but an eighth-inning error helped Lehigh break a 1-1 deadlock.
Bucknell fell to 14-20 overall and 6-11 in the Patriot League, while Lehigh is now 19-14-1, 6-7. The Mountain Hawks have won three of the first four head-to-head contests and have now clinched the season series.
These two teams will meet again on Sunday. That start time has been moved up an hour to a noon first pitch, with possible inclement weather in the forecast for later in the afternoon.
Game 1: Bucknell 2, Lehigh 1
O'Neill (3-4) and Cole Leaman (1-1) locked up in a tight pitchers' duel in the seven-inning opener, and both hurlers benefitted from some outstanding defense behind them.
Grant Voytovich made a sensational diving catch on the warning track on Tyler Young's fly ball that rode the jet stream in the second inning. Billy Kender made a nice catch on a Jake Whitlinger line drive and then doubled a runner off second base to keep the game scoreless in the third inning.
What a catch by Grant Voytovich! Fighting a stiff wind blowing the ball back over his head, he sticks with it to rob Tyler Young of extra bases. #rayBucknell #PLTop3https://t.co/EnaBgOHzkj@ESPN | @PatriotLeagueTV pic.twitter.com/iZINlUBL6P
— Bucknell Baseball ⚾️ (@Bucknell_BB) April 13, 2024
The Bison took the lead in the bottom of the third when Brady Karp led off with a single, moved to second on an error, and then scored on Jacob Corson's infield hit. Lehigh quickly tied it in the top of the fourth on a two-out RBI single by Young.
O'Neill picked off pinch-runner Robbie Carvelli to end the top of the sixth, and the Bison broke through with the go-ahead run in their final at-bat. Voytovich started the rally with a single and moved up on a ground ball. Brandon Coughlan replaced Leaman on the mound for Lehigh and balked Voytovich to third. Coughlan made a big pitch to get a ground ball to third to keep Voytovich there, but then he committed a second balk to force in the go-ahead run. Chris Morabito followed with a base hit anyway, but Coughlan kept the Bison to just the one run.
O'Neill came back out for the seventh and gave up a leadoff single to Young. But he struck out Andrew Kohl, got Sam Holtz on a foul pop, and then spun a beautiful breaking ball to strike out pinch-hitter Andrew Nole and end the game with a flourish.
Voytovich finished 2-for-3 for the Bison, while Young and Whitlinger collected two hits each for Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks outhit the Bison 7-6 in the game.
Tyler O'Neill with another sweet deuce to put an exclamation point on a complete-game gem! Bison take the opener 2-1. #rayBucknellhttps://t.co/EnaBgOHzkj@ESPN | @PatriotLeagueTV pic.twitter.com/2mkFMqsxsP
— Bucknell Baseball ⚾️ (@Bucknell_BB) April 13, 2024
Game 2 – Lehigh 3, Bucknell 1
It was another pitchers' duel in game two, with starters Marcus Danchision and Jake Schultz allowing single runs in the first inning but nothing more. Danchision, who came with a league-best 1.98 ERA, allowed just a run on three hits over seven innings, and then Julio Ermigiotti worked the final two innings for his second save.
Schultz allowed only an unearned run on three hits, striking out five and walking two in five innings. Adelmann (1-4) took the tough-luck loss, allowing two unearned runs in the eighth. He struck out five and allowed three hits in his three innings of work, and Patel needed only 12 pitches to navigate a 1-2-3 ninth.
Lehigh's run in the top of the first came when Whitlinger led off with a single, stole second, and went to third when the throw went into center field. He scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Cochran.
Bucknell got the run right back when Kender led off with a base hit on a full count and scored on a two-out RBI single by Michael Trommer.
Whitlinger made an outstanding running catch in the right-center gap to rob Voytovich in the fourth and quell a potential Bison rally, but both starters had settled in nicely by then.
Adelmann got some help from shortstop Karp in the sixth. After a leadoff walk, Karp made a diving stop on Rafe Perich's ground ball up the middle and made the flip to second for the force out. Adelmann then barehanded Young's comebacker to end the inning.
Andrew Kohl led off the seventh with a double for Lehigh. Adelmann came back with two straight strikeouts, and after a wild pitch moved Kohl to third, the big righthander got Braydon Hubbard on a fly ball to end the threat.
The Mountain Hawks finally broke the draw in the eighth. With two on and two outs, Trystan Crawford hit a fly ball to center that Voytovich had clip off his glove, allowing both runners to score. Adelmann's fifth strikeout stranded the runner at third and kept it a 3-1 game.
Ermigiotti, who worked 6.1 innings in relief in a win over Bucknell last Sunday, pitched a 1-2-3 eighth but then found trouble in the ninth. Corson led off with a walk, Voytovich singled with one out, and pinch-hitter Matt Alexander walked with two outs to load the bases. But Ermigiotti won an all-freshman battle, getting Chris Morabito on fly ball to right to end the game.
Lehigh outhit the Bison 6-4 in the game, with Whitlinger (2-4) the only player on either side with multiple hits.
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