Feb. 29, 2008

Box Score

RICHMOND, Va. - The Bucknell baseball team began its first game of a weekend road trip to Virginia with a 6-0 lead, but after a late rally by Richmond, will settle for its second 7-7 tie of the season as the contest was called after 10 innings on Friday afternoon at Pitt Field. For the first time since 1964, the Bison have two ties to their credit as the squad is currently 0-2-2, while the Spiders sit at 2-3-1.

Bucknell's offense wasted little time getting started as sophomore Ben Allen (Port Royal, Pa./Juniata) led off the first with a double and scored soon after as the next batter, junior Dane Grandizio (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg) blasted his first collegiate home run to put the Bison out in front, 2-0.

Senior Chris Pieper (Port Washington, N.Y./Schreiber) began the fourth inning with the second homer of the afternoon for the Orange and Blue. Then with one out, sophomore B.J. LaRosa (Jacksonville, Fla./Episcopal) and senior Ed Rubbo (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) connected for back-to-back singles. Junior Bret Sokirka (Wyoming, Pa./Wyoming Area) followed and plated Rubbo with a double down the left field line. LaRosa and Sokirka both came in on an error on the next play for Bucknell's third and fourth runs of the frame.

Richmond took one back in the bottom of the fourth as Evan Stehle was hit by a pitch and later scored on an RBI single by Billy Barber.

In the top of the sixth, Rubbo led off with his first career triple and LaRosa brought him in with a sacrifice fly for the seventh and final run of the contest for the Bison.

The Spiders began their comeback in the seventh, totaling four runs on five hits to cut the deficit to 7-5. With two away in the bottom of the eighth, Richmond managed pull even with the Orange and Blue, tallying four straight hits that produced two runs.

Senior Jason Buursma (Seattle, Wash./Lakeside School) started on the mound for Bucknell and went seven innings, surrendering five runs on nine hits with two walks and a career-high seven strikeouts. Junior Will Carney (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional) worked 1.1 innings and gave up two runs on five hits with no walks and one strikeout, while junior Jimmy Murphy (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset) pitched the remaining 1.2 innings without allowing a hit and walking two.

For the Spiders, starter Matt Zielinski tossed 3.1 innings and let up six runs, four earned, on eight hits with no walks and five strikeouts. In the remaining 6.2 innings, the Richmond bullpen combined to hold the Bison to one run on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Pieper led a balanced Bucknell offense with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate and Grandizio finished with a team-best two RBI and was 2-for-5. All nine starters for the Orange and Blue reached base safely at least once, while eight of nine registered hits in the contest.

Joe White boasted a team-high three hits for the Spiders and batted 6-for-3 with an RBI. Barber was 1-for-4 with two RBI.

The Bison will take the field again tomorrow, Mar. 1, as the squad will play a doubleheader at Virginia Commonwealth beginning at 1 p.m.