Category: Baseball

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

Andrew Andreychik ’16 provided the baseball team with its lone victory against visiting Army last weekend, throwing a four-hit shutout following three Bison losses to the Black Knights. The Bison also dropped two games at St. Bonaventure on April 23, despite another fantastic pitching performance from Xavier Hammond ’15.

Looking to salvage the four-game series, Andreychik took the mound following game three on April 21, and delivered with a gem. In the 5-0 Bison victory, Andreychik struck out eight and walked only one, facing just five batters over the minimum. Backing Andreychik on offense was right fielder Joe Ogren ’16, whose two-out double gave the Bison a 4-0 lead in the third inning, as well as RBI hits from second baseman Travis Clark ’13 and first baseman Rob Krentzman ’15.

The Orange and the Blue played their first two games against Army on April 20, marking their first home games against Patriot League opponents this season. Starting game one for the Bison was Bryson Hough ’15, who gave up seven runs (five earned) in the eventual 7-0 loss. Hough surrendered nine hits in 6.2 innings of work, while also striking out four and walking none. The offense sputtered behind Hough with only three Bison recording a total of four hits against Army’s Chris Rowley, the reigning Patriot League Pitcher of the Year.

Looking to get the Bison back on track, Dan Weigel ’14 delivered an outstanding performance in game two, pitching nine innings while allowing only three runs (two earned) on six hits and striking out eight. The Orange and the Blue fell in a 2-0 hole after Army scored twice in the second inning, but a bases-loaded walk from third baseman Carter Bumgardner ’13 in the fifth and an RBI single by catcher Justin Meier ’14 in the sixth knotted the score at 2-2. The score remained tied until the 10th inning, where Army finally got to Weigel and relief pitcher Max Kra ’16 for three runs. The Bison were unable to rally in their half of the tenth, and dropped their second game to Army by a final of 5-2.

“The Army series was a bit of a tough weekend for us,” outfielder Matt Busch ’13 said. “I think we came out kind of flat in the first game and then couldn’t find the big hit in the next two.”

Game three on April 21 also turned out to be a tough one for the Orange and the Blue as they once again lost in extra innings, this time 3-2. Similar to game two, Army took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, and the Bison tied it up 2-2 thanks to a pair of RBIs from Bumgardner. As the game went into extras, starter Dan Goldstein ’13 gave up his third run of the game in the eighth inning, but the Bison could not return the favor in their half. Goldstein still recorded a complete game, allowing 10 hits and striking out four in eight innings of work.

Following the Army series, the Bison hit the road to face St. Bonaventure in a doubleheader. The Orange and the Blue were blasted for 10 runs in game one, with Krentzman driving in right fielder Corey Furman ’14 for the lone Bison run in their 10-1 defeat. Game two featured a near no-hitter from Hammond, who came within two outs of the impressive feat. Unfortunately for the Orange and the Blue, a one-out single in the seventh ended the no-hit bit, and St. Bonaventure rallied for three runs to walk off against the Bison 3-2.

Currently fourth in the Patriot League standings, the Bison will host Lafayette this weekend in their final series of the season.

“We have Lafayette [this] weekend and that will be big for us,” Busch said. “We need to come out strong for all four games and get headed in the right direction for the playoffs.”

Seniors will also be honored prior to game one, which will begin at noon Saturday at Depew Field.

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer

The baseball team continued its effort to finish the season on a strong note, winning its series with Lehigh over the weekend 3-1, and continuing its winning streak with a victory against Towson on April 16.

The Bison started their final road series of Patriot League play on April 13 with a doubleheader against Lehigh. Bryson Hough ’15 led the team on the mound in the first game of the day, pitching a strong complete game while allowing only one earned run. The Bison grabbed an early 3-0 lead in the first inning thanks to home runs by Travis Clark ’13 and Rob Krentzman ’15, but the offense went silent as Lehigh fought back with four more runs in the final 4-3 loss.

The Bison offense came out strong in the second game of the day and led the team to a 7-6 victory to split the doubleheader. Justin Meier ’14 had three hits in the game, while five of his teammates contributed two hits apiece. Max Kra ’16 also earned his second career save in the tenth inning by retiring three consecutive batters to ensure the Bison victory.

“This weekend was another good weekend for our team,” Clark said. “We lost the first game of the series but were able to bounce back and win the next three. Our team is really coming together in every aspect of the game and it’s all happening at the right time.”

The Orange and Blue continued their momentum into the second part of their series with Lehigh on April 14. Dan Goldstein ’13 led the team with a complete game on the mound in the first game, allowing only five hits and racking up six strikeouts in the 7-2 victory. The Bison offense was led by Joe Ogren ’16, who finished the game with three hits, two RBIs and one run.

Pitching again played a major role in the second half of the doubleheader, this time with Andrew Andreychik ’16 allowing only six hits and one run in eight innings. The Bison were up only 2-1 going into the eighth inning, but an explosive five-run inning including a bases-clearing RBI double by Clark set the Orange and Blue up for an eventual 8-1 victory.

The Bison then took on Towson at home. Clark led the offense once again, totaling four hits and three runs, while Luke Lombardi ’14 and Anthony Gingerelli ’15 had two hits apiece. With the score tied at 4-4, the game went into extra innings, with Kra keeping the game scoreless for 2.2 innings. Kra eventually picked up the win after an RBI single in the 11th inning by Matt Busch ’13 secured a 5-4 victory for the Orange and Blue.

“We have put ourselves in a great position to contend for the first seed in the Patriot League tournament and that’s our goal,” Clark said. “We are looking forward to playing the next two weekends at home and would love support from the campus.”

The Bison will host Army for a series this weekend which will include doubleheaders on April 20 and 21.

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer

The baseball team continued its Patriot League season last weekend with two doubleheaders at Navy and came out on top, winning the series 3-1.

The Bison started off the weekend slow on offense, falling 2-1 in the first game of their April 6 doubleheader that went 11 innings before a decision. Bryson Hough ’15 had a strong day on the mound pitching nine innings and allowing just one run, but the only offense the Bison could muster was an RBI hit by Carter Bumgardner ’13, one of his two hits on the day.

The offense found its groove in the second game of the doubleheader, which ended in an 8-4 victory for the Bison. Dan Weigel ’14 threw eight innings while allowing three runs and striking out seven, and Bumgardner continued his strong offensive day with two RBI’s, helping the team build a 7-0 lead in the first four innings.

The Orange and Blue continued their momentum into the second day of the series, winning both games of the doubleheader 3-1 and 16-10, respectively. In game three, Dan Goldstein ’13 pitched a complete game with only six hits allowed, while Corey Furman ’14, Travis Clark ’13 and Joe Ogren ’16 each contributed an RBI.

Things got a little more interesting in game four. Andrew Andreychik ’16 pitched a solid seven innings, allowing just one run in the third inning and five hits overall. Bumgardner and Clark both had home runs in the second game as the Bison offense broke out, scoring four runs in four separate innings. A nine-run ninth inning by Navy kept the Bison on their toes, but Max Kra ’16 came in to get the final out and seal the doubleheader sweep.

The Bison will continue to try to improve their 4-4 Patriot League record with a four-game series at Lehigh this weekend.

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer

The baseball team had a rough week, finishing with a 1-3 record in four games at Holy Cross this past weekend, as well as losing to Saint Joseph’s at home on April 3.

The Bison began Patriot League play in Worcester, M.A. with a win in the first game of a doubleheader. Rob Krentzman ’15 got on the board with his first home run of the season, while Corey Furman ’14 and Travis Clark ’13 both went 4-7 to contribute to the 6-3 win for the Orange and Blue. The team could not keep the momentum going to finish out the second game of the day, ending with a 5-4 loss. Dan Weigel ’14 had a strong performance on the mound with eight strikeouts over 7.2 innings for the Bison, but it was not enough with offensive struggles in the late innings.

The Orange and Blue had similar misfortunes as they finished out their series with Holy Cross with a doubleheader on March 31, falling 5-4 and 9-3 on the day. Furman performed strongly in both games, finishing 4-9, while Clark and Anthony Gingerelli ’15 both contributed key hits to the Bison offense. Dan Goldstein ’13 had a strong performance on the mound in the first game for the Bison, pitching all six innings and striking out seven batters.

The Orange and Blue regrouped to face off against Saint Joseph’s at home, but fell short of victory with a final score of 4-2. Carter Bumgardner ’13 drove in both runs for the Bison with a pair of RBI doubles, while Xavier Hammond ’15 and the rest of the bullpen had impressive performances on the day, but it was not enough to overcome Saint Joseph’s strong offense.

The baseball team will continue Patriot League play with a four-game series at Navy this weekend.

Thomas Walter

Senior Writer

The baseball team dropped three consecutive one-run games to the Delaware Blue Hens last weekend, with the first two games on the road and the final game at home. The Orange and the Blue lost 13-12 in game one, 4-3 in game two and 5-4 in game three. The Bison also split two home games against Binghamton.

The first Delaware game proved to be a heartbreaker for the Bison. Pitcher Bryson Hough ’15 was lit up for 10 runs in 5.2 innings, and the Orange and the Blue went into the top of the eighth inning facing a 13-2 deficit. In a stunning comeback attempt, the Bison scored two runs in the eighth and then unloaded for eight runs in the ninth, but fell excruciatingly short with the bases loaded and could not complete the rally.

In the second game, the Bison entered the eighth inning with a 2-2 tie, but Delaware scored two in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. The Orange and the Blue got one back in the ninth, but once again were stopped short by one run.

Game three seemed like the Bison would finally reverse their bad fortune. Trailing 4-2 going into the bottom of the ninth, the Bison rallied for two runs thanks to RBI hits by Corey Furman ’14 and Carter Bumgardner ’13 to knot the score 4-4. After trading zeros in the 10th, the Bison once again fell behind on a wild pitch, and this time could not tie it up as they suffered their final loss to Delaware.

Furman hit in all three games and was able to extend his current team-leading six-game hitting streak. Bumgardner also performed well, going 7-13 in the three games with the Blue Hens. Bumgardner scored a pair of runs in game one, and had a clutch RBI in game three to complete a two-run rally and send the final game in this series to extra innings.

Things began to get a little better as the Orange and Blue won the first game versus Binghamton 3-1. Behind strong pitching from Andrew Andreychik ’16 and RBIs from Robb Scott ’13, Rob Krentzman ’15 and Brett Ashley ’14, the Bison were able to break their seven-game losing streak.

In game two, the Bison again came back from a deficit as they erased a three-run Binghamton lead in the sixth inning, only to cough up the lead in the seventh and drop another one-run game.

The Orange and Blue will head into Patriot League play this weekend on the road against Holy Cross.

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer

The men’s baseball team played two games against Harvard and two against No. 19 Virginia last weekend, and recorded its first win of the season against Harvard with a 7-4 victory on March 3. The Bison fell to Harvard 2-1 in extra innings on March 1, and dropped both games against Virginia 12-4 and 9-1.

“We pitchers are focused on what we can control which is keeping runners from getting on base and scoring, and we’ve had some success so far. The win we got this weekend helps our confidence in that we know we can put all the pieces together and win a game,” pitcher Bryson Hough ’15 said.

Hough started off the weekend by logging seven strong innings on the mound, allowing only six hits and one run against Harvard. But the Bison offense could only manage one run in support of Hough, thanks to a sacrifice fly by Rob Krentzman ’15 in the eighth inning. The team pushed the 1-1 tie to extra innings, but ultimately fell short of victory.

The Orange and Blue faced off against Virginia the next day. Despite the loss, the team improved offensively and seven different players recorded hits, with Jon Mayer ’16 leading the way with a two-run double and Corey Furman ’14 scoring after hitting a triple.

“This weekend was a great experience for the team. We saw some great competition and are getting closer to where we need to be … I think if we can limit the number of big innings when on defense then that would help solve a lot of our problems,” pitcher Max Kra ’16 said.  

The Bison came back with a vengeance against Harvard, and their strong effort resulted in their first win of the season. Furman once again had a strong offensive performance with a two-run home run, while Travis Clark ’13 and Robb Scott ’13 both had two doubles apiece. Dan Goldstein ’13 started the day on the mound and struck out six in seven innings, while Kra posted his first career save in the final two innings.

“The win against Harvard really was good for the team … It really lifted the team’s spirit and took some weight off our shoulders,” right fielder Matt Busch ’13 said.  

The Orange and Blue finished off their weekend against Virginia, but were unable to keep their momentum from the earlier game going in the loss. Krentzman and Busch led the offense with two hits apiece, with Krentzman driving in the only run for the Bison with an RBI single in the first inning. On the mound, six different pitchers stepped up for the team to gain some experience.

The Bison will leave for their Spring Break trip to Florida this weekend, starting off their seven-game trip against North Dakota State.

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer

The men’s baseball team put up a strong effort as it faced off against Duke last weekend for a three-game series, improving each game even though they did not come out with a victory.

“As a whole, we are obviously disappointed with the losses, yet there are many positives to take away. We were a few plays away from winning games two and three, and against a quality team like Duke, that is somewhat respectable,” pitcher Dan Weigel ’14 said.

The Bison had a rough start to the weekend on Feb. 22 when they faced off against the Blue Devils, ending the game with a 9-0 loss. The only two hits on the day for the Orange and Blue came from Matt Busch ’13 and Luke Lombardi ’14. Bryson Hough ’15 started on the mound and allowed only three hits in over five innings, but his five walks dug a hole the Bison could not overcome.

The Orange and Blue came back strong, pushing Duke before losing 2-0 on a walk-off home run on Feb. 23. Weigel led the Bison on the day, tallying five strikeouts and allowing just two hits and no runs in over eight innings. The team continued to struggle on offense, with second baseman Greg Wasikowski ’15 recording the only hit for the Bison on the day.

The Orange and Blue bounced back on offense on Feb. 24, recording six hits and getting on the board in the 4-1 loss. Center fielder Corey Furman ’14 led the way with two singles on the day, while pitcher Dan Goldstein ’13 had an impressive performance on the mound, recording eight strikeouts in 4.2 innings.

“As we move towards next weekend against Harvard and Virginia we are not looking for mere respectability but rather to win the series,” Weigel said. “We proved this weekend that we can play with ACC schools, now we just need to keep getting better to be able to make that next step of beating them.”

This weekend, the Bison will travel to Charlottesville, Va. to play two games against Virginia and two versus Harvard.