By Chris McCree
Writer
The baseball team went 3-3 in six games last week against Longwood University and Le Moyne University. The Orange and Blue managed to take 3-of-4 in their home opener against Longwood over the weekend but were swept during Tuesday’s doubleheader at Le Moyne.
With the sun shining and the Depew Field stands filled with enthusiastic fans, the Bison opened up home play on a high note against a tough Longwood squad. The Lancers came into the series boasting an impressive 17-7 record, but the Bison were unfazed and, thanks to solid all-around play, came away successful.
“We are definitely happy with the outcome of our home opener because we knew Longwood was going to be a challenge, and we played well as a team,” Drew Constable ’11 said. “I thought everyone on our squad came out really focused this weekend.”
The Bison’s first game of the home series proved to be the most dramatic, as Constable hit a walk-off triple to seal the 3-2 victory. The triple was Constable’s second hit of the game, tying him with two others for team-high honors.
After the low-scoring 3-2 victory in the morning, the Bison offense exploded for 11 runs in the afternoon en route to an 11-2 victory. The team scored seven runs in the fourth inning alone and led the Lancers 11-0 going into the ninth inning.
Dylan Seeley ’11 and Ryan Ebner ’12 produced back-to-back pitching gems for the Bison during the first set of doubleheaders. Seeley, who pitched in game one, did not allow a runner to reach base until the third inning and allowed just two runs in the Bison’s dramatic victory. Ebner, Reigning Patriot League Pitcher of the Week, followed with an eight-inning shutout performance of his own, allowing the Bison to sweep Saturday’s doubleheader.
Game three featured an intense pitching duel between Jack Boehm ’12 and Longwood’s Matt Gwaltney. Boehm came away on top, registering a complete game with a 2-1 victory. The Bison recorded both of their runs in the first inning, but it proved to be enough as Boehm allowed just one run and retired his last 11 batters.
The Orange and Blue did not find the same success in their final three games of the week, dropping their series finale 6-2 to Longwood and both games against Le Moyne. The Bison couldn’t seem to figure out the Le Moyne pitching, recording just three runs and nine hits over the two games. Despite the team’s poor hitting performance, Doug Schribman ’11 was able to extend his hitting streak to eight games.
The Bison start their Patriot League schedule this weekend with their home series against Lafayette.