April 20, 2008

Box Score

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Behind 12 hits and yet another strong performance on the mound by senior Mathew Wilson (Toronto, Ontario/Northern S.S.), the Bucknell baseball team downed Navy, 8-2, in the seven-inning game of Sunday's Patriot League doubleheader. Game two was called due to rain and has been rescheduled for Monday at 2 p.m. With the win, the Bison move to 19-18-2 on the year and pull even with the Mids (23-19) in the Patriot League standings at 8-7.

Bucknell jumped all over Navy starter Mark McCoy early as the Orange and Blue touched him up for a combined seven runs on six hits in the first two innings. In the first, sophomore Ben Allen (Port Royal, Pa./Juniata) struck out to begin the frame, but reached base on a wild pitch. Sophomore Ben Yoder (Belleville, Pa./Indian Valley) followed up by dropping down a bunt single and senior Jason Buursma (Seattle, Wash./Lakeside School) doubled in Allen for the first run of the game. Sophomore John Avanzino (Manhasset, N.Y./Manhasset) brought home Yoder with an RBI groundout and, with back-to-back singles up the middle, junior Dane Grandizio (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg) and senior Mark Angelo (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) plated the team's third and fourth runs.

Then in the second, the Bison followed up by adding three more to their total. Senior Shawn Hirsch (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) and Allen opened the inning with two straight singles, while subsequent walks to Yoder, Buursma and Grandizio resulted in Hirsch and Allen coming across for the next two runs for Bucknell. Angelo then capped off the inning with a sacrifice fly that scored Yoder.

Navy managed to get on the board in the fourth. Michael Speciale reached with a one-out infield single and Jeff Bland drove him in with a single to center. Mitch Harris scored the second run for the Mids on a wild pitch after reaching base with a walk. Wilson ended the threat by striking out Mike Guadagnini and inducing a lazy infield pop up off the bat of Jonathan Wright with the bases loaded.

Those were the only two runs Wilson would surrender in the contest as he worked all seven innings for the Bison and picked up the win (3-1). He scattered eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts in his third complete game of the season.

Bucknell tacked on an additional insurance run in the sixth as Yoder drove a one-out double up the middle and Buursma brought him in with a single through the left side.

McCoy took the loss for Navy as he gave up eight runs on 12 hits with three walks and six strikeouts in 5.1 innings on the mound.

All nine members of the Bison lineup tallied hits in the contest with Yoder, Buursma and Grandizio leading the way with 2-for-3 performances at the plate. Buursma drove in a team-best three runs on the day, while Yoder scored three times. Renaldo Hollins and Bland combined for four of the eight hits recorded by the Midshipmen, both going 2-for-3.