Saturday, April 6
Easton, Pa.
12 p.m.
Bucknell University
11-17, 4-8
4
at
2
Lafayette
6-22, 2-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Bucknell
0
0
1
3
0
0
0
4
6
0
Lafayette
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
2
6
2
Photo by: Lianne Garrahan
Keys’ Web Gem Helps Bison Baseball Complete Doubleheader Sweep at Lafayette
4/6/2024 8:07:00 PM | Baseball
EASTON, Pa. – Junior third baseman Sean Keys has won numerous games with his bat throughout his Bucknell career, but on Saturday at Lafayette, it was his glove that saved the day. Keys put an exclamation point on a long day of baseball with a spectacular diving stop and throw to strand the tying run at third base and give the Bison a much-needed doubleheader sweep.
Keys, the Patriot League's leading hitter entering the weekend, homered in game one in support of a complete-game effort from Tyler O'Neill in a 4-2 Bucknell win. The Bison won a wild nightcap 12-11 in 10 innings, thanks to a four-RBI game from Grant Voytovich, strong relief work from Graeme Carroll and Nick Mulvey, a go-ahead RBI single from freshman Chris Morabito, and the web gem from Keys.
Bucknell snapped a six-game Patriot League losing streak and improved to 12-17 overall and 5-8 in conference play. The Bison moved into a fourth-place tie with Lehigh, which dropped two games to Navy on Saturday. Bucknell and Lehigh will play a doubleheader in Bethlehem on Sunday starting at noon.
Game 1 – Bucknell 4, Lafayette 2
Bucknell never trailed in the opener, as Keys hit a solo homer to start the scoring in the top of the third, and then the Bison tacked on three more in the fourth.
After two walks and a sac bunt by Nic Adamo, the Bison scored one run on an error and added two more on RBI singles by Brady Karp and Billy Kender, who was back in the lineup after missing six games due to injury.
The Bison still had the bases loaded with one out, but Lafayette reliever Adam Bogosian did well to limit the damage with a pair of strikeouts. That proved big when Lafayette chipped away with single runs in the fourth and fifth.
O'Neill (2-4) took a shutout into the fourth before yielding a two-out RBI single to Teddy Cashman. Ethan Swidler made it 4-2 with an RBI double in the fifth, but O'Neill retired eight of the last nine batters of the seven-inning game to finish off the win.
O'Neill has now pitched at least six innings in all four of his Patriot League starts and is 2-2 in league play. He allowed struck out seven and walked only two against the Leopards.
Both teams collected six hits in the game, with Kender the only player on either side with two. Michael Trommer reached base all four times with a base hit and three walks.
Game 2 – Bucknell 12, Lafayette 11 (10 inn.)
After the opener belonged to the pitchers, game two was a slugfest with a combined 23 runs, 23 hits, 18 walks, and six hit batsmen. Bucknell was seeming in control with an 11-3 lead after scoring seven times in the top of the fourth, but Lafayette scored two in the fourth, two in the fifth, and four in the seventh to tie the game.
Senior relievers Carroll (3-0) and Mulvey (5th save) settled things down, however, blanking the Leopards in the eighth, ninth, and 10th. Lafayette also received a tremendous relief outing from Jacob Maurer, who pitched 4.2 scoreless innings after the Bison built that big early lead. But thanks to some major contributions from the freshman class, Bucknell regained the lead against Joey Pence in the 10th.
Rookie catcher Luke Nascimento led off the 10th with a single up the middle. Trommer walked, and Morabito came off the bench and ripped a pinch-hit single to score Nascimento. Pence buckled down and got two strikeouts to keep it a 12-11 game.
Carroll got the last two outs of the seventh inning, worked a 1-2-3 eighth, and then got a big ground ball to strand the winning run at third in the ninth. Carroll gave way to the lefty Mulvey in the 10th, and he walked Swidler to lead off the inning. After a sacrifice bunt, Easton Brenner grounded out to short to move the tying run up to third. Ben Petrone walked, bringing up the dangerous Michael Zarrillo, who had homered and tripled earlier in the game.
Zarrillo swung at the first pitch and ripped a hard ground ball to the left side. Keys dove to his left to snare the hot shot, then fired a strike to first to end the game.
An RBI double by Kender and a two-run double by Keys gave Bucknell a 4-2 lead in the second inning. Lafayette got one back on a sac fly in the bottom of the second, but then the Bison scored seven runs on four hits in the fourth.
Billy Fluharty started the outburst with a base hit, and he later scored on a wild pitch. Jacob Corson walked with the bases loaded, and then Voytovich hit a shot off the wall in center to clear the bases and make it a 9-3 game. Tyler Dunn followed with an RBI single, and Fluharty beat out a double-play ball to bring home the 11th run.
Maurer finally retired the side when Keys hit a fly ball to center with the bases loaded. Little did they know it at the time, but that proved to be a big pitch for the Leopards as they battled back.
Zarrillo led off the fourth with a home run, and Matt Colella made it 11-5 with an RBI single later in the inning. Lafayette put men at second and third with two outs in the fifth. Jonathan Adelmann bounced a pitch in the dirt that Nascimento blocked straight up in the air. With the runner at third coming home, Adelmann raced in and tried to swat the ball out of the air back to Nascimento, but the ball hit the runner and got away, and the second run scored as well.
The Leopards drew even in the seventh on RBI singles by Michael Mallas and Colella and a sac fly by Swidler. Nascimento gunned down Colella trying to steal second to end the inning.
Voytovich finished 2-for-6 with four RBIs, and Kender and Karp both notched two hits apiece. Kender, hitting in the leadoff spot, also drew two walks and scored three runs. Colella was 3-for-5 with three RBIs for Lafayette.
Keys, the Patriot League's leading hitter entering the weekend, homered in game one in support of a complete-game effort from Tyler O'Neill in a 4-2 Bucknell win. The Bison won a wild nightcap 12-11 in 10 innings, thanks to a four-RBI game from Grant Voytovich, strong relief work from Graeme Carroll and Nick Mulvey, a go-ahead RBI single from freshman Chris Morabito, and the web gem from Keys.
Bucknell snapped a six-game Patriot League losing streak and improved to 12-17 overall and 5-8 in conference play. The Bison moved into a fourth-place tie with Lehigh, which dropped two games to Navy on Saturday. Bucknell and Lehigh will play a doubleheader in Bethlehem on Sunday starting at noon.
SEAN KEYS SAVES THE DAY! Incredible play to end the game and strand the tying run at 3rd, and it's a doubleheader sweep for the Bison! #rayBucknell #SCTop10@ESPN | @PatriotLeagueTV | @d1baseball pic.twitter.com/CdXmiOjaNo
— Bucknell Baseball ⚾️ (@Bucknell_BB) April 6, 2024
Game 1 – Bucknell 4, Lafayette 2
Bucknell never trailed in the opener, as Keys hit a solo homer to start the scoring in the top of the third, and then the Bison tacked on three more in the fourth.
After two walks and a sac bunt by Nic Adamo, the Bison scored one run on an error and added two more on RBI singles by Brady Karp and Billy Kender, who was back in the lineup after missing six games due to injury.
The Bison still had the bases loaded with one out, but Lafayette reliever Adam Bogosian did well to limit the damage with a pair of strikeouts. That proved big when Lafayette chipped away with single runs in the fourth and fifth.
O'Neill (2-4) took a shutout into the fourth before yielding a two-out RBI single to Teddy Cashman. Ethan Swidler made it 4-2 with an RBI double in the fifth, but O'Neill retired eight of the last nine batters of the seven-inning game to finish off the win.
O'Neill has now pitched at least six innings in all four of his Patriot League starts and is 2-2 in league play. He allowed struck out seven and walked only two against the Leopards.
Both teams collected six hits in the game, with Kender the only player on either side with two. Michael Trommer reached base all four times with a base hit and three walks.
Game 2 – Bucknell 12, Lafayette 11 (10 inn.)
After the opener belonged to the pitchers, game two was a slugfest with a combined 23 runs, 23 hits, 18 walks, and six hit batsmen. Bucknell was seeming in control with an 11-3 lead after scoring seven times in the top of the fourth, but Lafayette scored two in the fourth, two in the fifth, and four in the seventh to tie the game.
Senior relievers Carroll (3-0) and Mulvey (5th save) settled things down, however, blanking the Leopards in the eighth, ninth, and 10th. Lafayette also received a tremendous relief outing from Jacob Maurer, who pitched 4.2 scoreless innings after the Bison built that big early lead. But thanks to some major contributions from the freshman class, Bucknell regained the lead against Joey Pence in the 10th.
Rookie catcher Luke Nascimento led off the 10th with a single up the middle. Trommer walked, and Morabito came off the bench and ripped a pinch-hit single to score Nascimento. Pence buckled down and got two strikeouts to keep it a 12-11 game.
The freshmen come through in the 10th! Morabito singles home Nascimento, and the Bison have the lead back. #rayBucknell
— Bucknell Baseball ⚾️ (@Bucknell_BB) April 6, 2024
Watch: https://t.co/3HjouN9lZK@ESPN | @PatriotLeagueTV pic.twitter.com/SHHzlxh6T8
Carroll got the last two outs of the seventh inning, worked a 1-2-3 eighth, and then got a big ground ball to strand the winning run at third in the ninth. Carroll gave way to the lefty Mulvey in the 10th, and he walked Swidler to lead off the inning. After a sacrifice bunt, Easton Brenner grounded out to short to move the tying run up to third. Ben Petrone walked, bringing up the dangerous Michael Zarrillo, who had homered and tripled earlier in the game.
Zarrillo swung at the first pitch and ripped a hard ground ball to the left side. Keys dove to his left to snare the hot shot, then fired a strike to first to end the game.
An RBI double by Kender and a two-run double by Keys gave Bucknell a 4-2 lead in the second inning. Lafayette got one back on a sac fly in the bottom of the second, but then the Bison scored seven runs on four hits in the fourth.
Billy Fluharty started the outburst with a base hit, and he later scored on a wild pitch. Jacob Corson walked with the bases loaded, and then Voytovich hit a shot off the wall in center to clear the bases and make it a 9-3 game. Tyler Dunn followed with an RBI single, and Fluharty beat out a double-play ball to bring home the 11th run.
Maurer finally retired the side when Keys hit a fly ball to center with the bases loaded. Little did they know it at the time, but that proved to be a big pitch for the Leopards as they battled back.
Zarrillo led off the fourth with a home run, and Matt Colella made it 11-5 with an RBI single later in the inning. Lafayette put men at second and third with two outs in the fifth. Jonathan Adelmann bounced a pitch in the dirt that Nascimento blocked straight up in the air. With the runner at third coming home, Adelmann raced in and tried to swat the ball out of the air back to Nascimento, but the ball hit the runner and got away, and the second run scored as well.
The Leopards drew even in the seventh on RBI singles by Michael Mallas and Colella and a sac fly by Swidler. Nascimento gunned down Colella trying to steal second to end the inning.
Voytovich finished 2-for-6 with four RBIs, and Kender and Karp both notched two hits apiece. Kender, hitting in the leadoff spot, also drew two walks and scored three runs. Colella was 3-for-5 with three RBIs for Lafayette.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: O'Neill, Tyler (2-4)
L: Skapinetz (1-5)
Batting:
HR: Keys, Sean 1
RBI: Kender, Billy 1 ; Keys, Sean 1 ; Karp, Brady 1
SH: Adamo, Nic 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Keys, Sean 1 ; Dunn, Tyler 1 ; Trommer, Michael 1 ; Morabito, Chris 1
Batting:
2B: Swidler 1
RBI: Swidler 1 ; Cashman 1
SH: Colella 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fadio 1 ; Mallas 1
CS: Petrone 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
1
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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LHP
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RHP
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OF
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Bucknell Men's Water Polo Vs. Mercyhurst (10/10/25)
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(Coaches Camera) Bucknell Men's Water Polo Vs. Mercyhurst (10/10/25)
Saturday, October 11