Junior shortstop John Elson went 2 for 3 at the plate in the Hawks’ first game against Lafayette, tallying one RBI and scoring twice in the team’s 7-2 win. (Ally Morrow/B&W Photo)
The Lehigh University baseball team swept Lafayette College on Saturday in a doubleheader to clinch a postseason spot in the Patriot League tournament.
The team honored its seniors on Saturday afternoon with a pre-game ceremony. The Mountain Hawks then defeated the Leopards in both games, winning the first, 7-2, and the second, 4-2.
In the top of the first inning in the first game, Lafayette took a 2-0 lead with the help of two Lehigh errors. In the bottom half of the inning, senior first baseman Tyler Brong walked with the bases loaded, followed by first-year third baseman Patrick Donnelly’s two-RBI single up the middle to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead
In the bottom of the third, junior shortstop John Elson drove in senior catcher Joe Abeln to give Lehigh a 5-2 lead. Brong singled through the left side, driving in Elson and putting Lehigh up four.
Lehigh’s final run came in the fourth inning, when sophomore infielder Mike Garzillo doubled down the left field line to bring home junior outfielder Justin Pacchioli.
After allowing the two first inning runs, Hawk senior pitcher Colin Gotzon settled down to pitch a complete game, getting his fourth win of the season. In seven innings Gotzon allowed eight hits, two runs and nine strikeouts, giving up no walks.
In the second game of the standoff, Lafayette opened the scoring in the third inning.
Lehigh responded by scoring two runs in the fifth, on RBIs by Garzillo and Elson. The Hawks went on to tack on two more in the sixth with a Pacchioli RBI single and a double steal that allowed Pacchioli to score.
Lafayette would go on to make a small push to come back in the eighth inning, but the Hawks limited the Leopards to only one run in the inning.
Senior Mike Burke received the win in the latter half of the doubleheader, pitching six innings and only allowing one run. Burke gave up six hits, struck out five, and walked two. Senior pitcher Nick Cassel earned his seventh save of the season, pitching the final three innings and allowing one run on two hits. Cassel struck out four and walked one.
Story by Brown and White sports writer Alexis Martins, ’17.
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