4/6/2002 - Baseball
Bucknell Sweeps Doubleheader from Navy
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Navy baseball team dropped a doubleheader to Bucknell Saturday afternoon at Bucknell Field. The Bison captured the first game, 2-0, while outlasting the Mids in the nightcap, 4-3, in eight innings. The two teams will close out the four-game series with a doubleheader Sunday beginning at 12 noon.
"The first game was a very well-pitched game by both teams," Navy head coach Steve Whitmyer said. "Bucknell pieced a couple of hits together which was the difference in the game. In the second game, we had a lot of opportunities to extend our lead, but they responded each time. We need to come back strong tomorrow and get good pitching like we got from our starters today."
The opener was a pitching dual between Navy starter Rich McDevitt (Jr./Albany, N.Y.) and Bucknell's Chris Lackett. After four scoreless innings, Bucknell (11-19, 3-3 Patriot League) scored the game's only two runs in the fifth inning. Left fielder Kyle Krentzman doubled and then scored on center fielder Chris Cipolloni's RBI-single to left. Ben Stoll reached on an error by Navy second baseman Chris Ashinhurst (So./Stafford, Va.) and came home on catcher Phil Bunting's RBI-single to right, giving the Bison a 2-0 win.
Lackett improved to 1-1 with the win, while McDevitt dropped to 0-4. Dean Farmer (So./Knoxville, Tenn.) and Will Mahan (Jr./Escondida, Calif.) had Navy's only two hits in the game.
In the nightcap, Navy (8-16, 3-3) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on Ashinhurst's RBI-double down the right field line, scoring Neil Brubeck (Sr./Bryan, Texas) from second base. However, Bucknell tied the game in the bottom of the inning.
Navy went ahead 2-1 in the top of the fifth inning, as shortstop Matt Lukevics (Fr./Tampa, Fla.) scored from third base on an error by Bucknell catcher Austin Barrett. The Mids' lead didn't last long as the Bison tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning on a bases-loaded walk by Navy starting pitcher Andy Froistad (So./St. Paul, Minn.), scoring designated hitter Sam Moss.
Pinch runner Jason Guidos (Sr./Portland, Ore.) gave Navy a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh inning when he scored from third base when Bucknell relief pitcher Gregg Farmery was called for a balk. With one out and right fielder John Cocca (Sr./Whitehall, Pa.) on third, Mahan lined into a double play to end the inning.
Bucknell tied the game in the bottom of the seventh, sending the game into extra innings on Larry Scheetz's RBI-single to center.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Bucknell pinch hitter Brian Hirschberg came to the plate and singled to left center off Navy relief pitcher Jake Miller (Jr./Santa Maria, Calif.), scoring pinch runner Steve Stutzman to give Bucknell a 4-3 win.
Bucknell's Kevin Burns threw 6.1 innings and improved to 4-2, while Miller dropped to 0-1. Froistad allowed just two runs on four hits in 5.2 innings for the Mids with one walk and four strikeouts. Miller and Brubeck had two hits apiece for the Mids.
