Game 1
Army defeated Lehigh 5-4 in highly anticipated seven-inning double-header at J. David Walker Field on Saturday afternoon
The two teams came into the game in first place of their Patriot League regions, with the Mountain Hawks ahead in the south division and the Black Knights leading the north division.
Lehigh ace Mason Black did not have his best performance, giving up five runs in four innings, walking five batters and giving up five hits. Black is expected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming MLB draft.
Army built early momentum when Kevin Dubrule and Carter Macias doubled to start the third inning. The Black Knights scored three third-inning runs to take a 3-0 lead.
Lehigh responded in the bottom of the third when Gerard Sweeney was able to bring home two Lehigh runners with a double off the center-field wall.
Black battled throughout the game. Despite struggling with his control, he was able to strike out three Army batters in four innings of work, including a strikeout in the fourth inning of Army batter Cameron Cerruto.
Black left the game with no outs in the fifth inning and the bases loaded. Ryan Deom relieved Black in the fifth inning and escaped a bases-loaded no-out jam, only surrendering two runs, expanding Army’s lead to 5-2.
Army pitcher Anthony Loricco’s day ended after consecutive walks to start the fifth inning. When Army relief pitcher Ray Bartoli mishandled a sacrifice bunt to the first batter he faced, Lehigh had the bases loaded with no outs and leadoff hitter Eric Cichocki coming to the plate.
Cichocki singled to bring home one run, but Lehigh shortstop Riley Davis was thrown out at the plate trying to advance. Army escaped the inning, only surrendering one run after Bartoli got Sweeney and Rother to fly out and a groundout, keeping Army’s lead at 5-3.
Cichocki ended the game 2-4 with a double and a single.
In the sixth inning, Lehigh added one more run after a leadoff double by Joe Gorla and two sacrifices to bring him home, trimming the lead to 5-4.
Due to the doubleheader, the first game was shortened to seven innings, giving Lehigh one final chance to come back.
Deom continued to pitch fantastic in relief for Black, giving up no runs in three innings and having a perfect seventh inning.
However, Lehigh was not able to mount a comeback in the bottom of the seventh inning, and Army won the contest 5-4.
Game 2
Lehigh lost the second game of their Saturday doubleheader against Army 6-2 at J. David Walker Field on April 17.
The Mountain Hawks lost both games on the day, after a back and forth first game where Lehigh lost 5-4 in a seven-inning game.
Lehigh started Matt Svanson in the second game, who battled through six innings, giving up five runs and striking out three batters.
Svanson is second in the Patriot League in strikeouts with 39, only behind teammate Mason Black who has a whopping 67 strikeouts on the season.
The Black Knights picked up their first run with a two-out rally in the first inning. Lehigh responded with a Casey Rother home run to tie the game.
Rother leads the Patriot League with four home runs on the year and is second in the Patriot League in average, hitting .359.
The Black Knights seized control in the second inning, collecting four hits and scoring two runs to take a 3-1 lead.
Army center fielder Carter Macias played stellar defense throughout the day, making diving catches in the outfield and throwing runners out trying to advance. The entire Army defense was a key in the doubleheader on Saturday.
In the fifth inning, Sam Ruta extended Army’s lead with a two-run home run over the right-center field wall, increasing the lead to 5-1. Ruta was 2-3 in the game with three RBIs.
Lehigh center fielder Quinn McKenna doubled in the sixth inning as the Mountain Hawks began a rally, but Army pitcher Robbie Buecker was able to escape trouble and only allowed one run in the frame.
Buecker retired 12 consecutive Lehigh batters after surrendering a first-inning home run to Rother.
In the seventh inning Ben Christian relieved Svanson and retired all three Army batters he faced, striking out two.
In the top of the eighth inning, Eric Cichocki made a diving grab in right field to save a two-run double and keep the game at 5-2.
Lehigh was not able to gain any offensive momentum in the late innings and fell to Army 6-2.
The Mountain Hawks will play two more games against Army Sunday, April 18, with the first game starting at 12 p.m. at West Point.
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