Category: Baseball

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Baseball takes down Lehigh

By Andrew Arnao
Senior Writer

On a weekend dedicated to the legacy of head coach Gene Depew, who will be retiring at the end of the season, the baseball team played exceptionally well en route to taging three of four home games from Patriot League rival Lehigh.  The Bison are now 19-20 overall and 6-6 in Patriot League play.

In game one, Lehigh defeated the Bison 8-1. Pitcher Dan Weigel ’14 had his second loss of the year, while first baseman Russel Seidell ’12 brought in the lone RBI on a groundout.

“We kind of got off to a slow start in game one but we did a great job bouncing back and not letting the loss affect us,” starting pitcher Bryson Hough ’15 said. “Taking the next three games from Lehigh was huge because they were right behind us in the standings and we’re still at the edge of the playoff bubble.”

Hough played an instrumental role in winning game two, pitching 6.1 strong innings while allowing only three earned runs. The Bison offense also managed to break out, recording 17 hits behind strong efforts from shortstop Robb Scott ’13 (four-for-four with three RBIs), left fielder Colby Vanderbeck ’14 (three-for-four with four RBIs), and designated hitter Carter Bumgardner ’13 (three-for-five with three RBIs). The Bison finished the game on top 11-5.

In game three, Ryan Ebner ’12 pitched a seven-inning, three-hit shutout, the first for the Bison this year. The Bison offense contributed nine hits to the eventual 6-0 victory, with second baseman Travis Clark ’13 leading the way with three hits, including a home run.

Game four featured perhaps the most drama of the series, with five lead changes and a walk-off hit by first baseman Rob Krentzman ’15 in the bottom of the seventh inning. Krentzman’s clutch hit gave the Bison a 7-6 victory.

“We played very well all around this weekend,” Ebner said. “We had guys come up with big hits in big situations, especially Rob Krentzman [with] the game-winning hit in a much needed game four win. I also thought we played great in the field. [Third baseman] Dave Duffett [’12] made a ton of nice plays at third and Robb Scott and Travis Clark made some run-saving plays.”

“We needed to win a series this past weekend and we took care of business,” Depew said. “I thought after losing game one we came back and played our best overall baseball of the season in the last three games. We pitched well, played good defense and got good and timely hitting. We are looking forward to the challenge of going to Army to compete against a team that is 12-0 in the league, [which should be] a great opportunity for us.”

The Bison also traveled to Penn State on Wednesday, where Seidell and Jack Boehm’12 combined to give up only 2 runs over 7 innings, but the offense was quieted by the Nittany Lions, recording only 4 hits in a 2-0 loss.

The Bison’s stint away against undefeated Army starts at noon on Saturday.

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Baseball splits Navy rematch

By Andrew Arnao

Writer

The baseball team went 2-3 over the past week, splitting a four-game series at home against Navy over the weekend while falling on the road to Towson on Tuesday. The Bison are now 16-18 for the season.

Game one on Saturday started off as a pitcher’s duel, with both Dan Weigel ’14 and Navy’s Ben Nelson firing blanks until Navy broke through with a run in the fourth. The Bison brought it to 2-1 in the sixth on a two-RBI hit by third baseman David Duffett ’12. Navy tied the game to force extra innings, but Duffett hit a walk-off single in the 10thto give the Bison a 3-2 win.

Game two ended as a tough loss for the Bison. Despite taking a 2-1 lead into the seventh, the Orange and the Blue were unable to hold on as Navy scored two runs to win by a final of 3-2. Pitcher Bryson Hough ’15 went eight strong innings, giving up only three runs on eight hits, while left-fielder Colby Vanderbeck ’14 and designated hitter Matt Lamore ’12 each contributed one RBI. Game three on Sunday also resulted in a frustrating 3-2 loss for the Bison, as the Bison took a 2-0 lead into the sixth when Navy finally got to pitcher Ryan Ebner ’12 for three runs.

“When our starters give us quality pitching performances, we should expect to sweep the series,” outfielder Matt Busch ’13 said. “Pitching alone, however, does not win ball games. Our offense struggled in all but the last game and we were only able to put up a few runs in the first three games.”

The Bison offense was finally let loose in game four, pounding Navy for 10 runs in an eventual 10-3 victory. Pitcher Dan Goldstein ’13 recorded the win while five Bison recorded multi-hit games. The Bison had their best inning in the fourth, when nine men were sent to the plate and pinch-hitter Scott Reed ’12 hit a three-run homer.

“Our starting pitching did a great job of keeping us in the games,” assistant coach Jim Gulden said. “All the games were well pitched games by both teams. Our bats came alive in the fourth game to split the series, which we needed to stay ahead of them in the league.”

The offense continued to rake against Towson, scoring eight runs thanks in part to a grand slam by Busch, but it wasn’t enough as the Bison fell 10-8. Each team tied the score five times before Towson went ahead for good in the bottom of the seventh. Busch and center fielder Bob Donato ’12 each had two hits and multiple RBIs for the Orange and the Blue.

“Against Towson, we played well offensively and struggled on the hill,” Busch said. “The positive thing we can take from this is that we have solid pitching and an explosive offense. The trick is getting both aspects to work at the same time.”

The Bison will be at home this weekend for a four-game series against division–rival Lehigh, starting at noon on Saturday.

“This weekend is a huge weekend for us [because] we are a game ahead of Lehigh in the league and need to stay ahead of them,” Gulden said. “The keys to this weekend are to get good quality starts from our pitchers, timely hitting from our offense and play mistake-free baseball. If we play the way we are capable [of], we are a tough team to beat.”

 

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Baseball Men Sports

Baseball loses two of four, falls to 14-15

Andrew Arnao
Staff Writer

The baseball team opened Patriot League play last weekend with a 1-3 showing at home against Holy Cross. The Orange and the Blue also dominated Lock Haven on Tuesday, but dropped their third contest of the week at Maryland 8-3. After the three games, the Bison now stand at 14-15 on the season.

Both of the games against Holy Cross on Saturday were well pitched by both teams. Game one featured a complete game by Dan Weigel ’14, who allowed one run on six hits over seven innings in a 3-1 victory. The Bison scored all three of their runs in the first inning, on a pair of RBI hits by Travis Clark ’13 and Scott Reed ’12.

Bryson Hough ’15 followed up with a strong pitching performance in game two, giving up two earned runs on seven hits, but the Bison offense was shut down in an eventual 3-1 defeat.

In the two games on Sunday, Holy Cross managed to take early leads and never looked back, winning game three 5-1 and game four 11-7. The Bison offense was limited in the first game, but six Bison had multiple hits in game four, allowing the team to end the series on a positive note offensively. Bob Donato ’12 also had his 21-game hitting streak snapped in game three but is still batting a team-high .421.

“This weekend was not our best weekend but it was a good reality check for what we will need to work on to win Patriots this year,” Clark said. “Our team reminds me a lot of the team we had two years ago when we went to the NCAA regional tournament.”

The offense carried its improvements from game four over to another home game against Lock Haven, where the Orange and Blue came out on top, 10-3. Pitchers Ryan Ebner ’12 and Jack Boehm ’12 did not allow any baserunners through 4.2 innings. Catcher Justin Meier ’14 led the offense with two hits, while three Bison recorded multiple RBIs.

Ending their three-game stretch at Maryland, the Bison were overmatched by a hot Terps offense that knocked up starter Russell Seidell ’12 for seven runs. Through seven innings, the Orange and Blue trailed 8-0, but managed to cut it to five in the top of the eighth. As a team, the Bison recorded six hits in the game with five of them coming from Donato and Gerry Runyan ’12.

The Bison will be back in action this weekend at home against Navy. The first game is at noon on Saturday.

“We have a solid older team again and we’re just a few steps from putting everything together and reaching our potential,” Clark said. “This week we will have a good chance of putting everything together and taking two victories into our weekend series with Navy.”

 

 

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Baseball Men Sports

Baseball earns three wins with split

Andrew Arnao

Staff Writer

The men’s baseball team went 3-3 over the past week, splitting a four-game series at Saint Joseph’s over the weekend and also splitting a doubleheader at home against Binghamton on Tuesday. The Orange and the Blue are now 12-11 for the season.

“The Saint Joseph’s series was very competitive, with three games decided by one run,” head coach Gene Depew said. “I think the biggest positive for us was that we got quality pitching throughout the weekend.”

Friday’s game against Saint Joseph’s was incredibly close, with the Bison taking the lead twice, but the Hawks managed to tie the score in the bottom of the inning both times. The Bison went ahead for good on a two-out RBI single by Robb Scott ’13 in the eighth inning, and finished the game with a 4-3 victory. Pitcher Dan Weigel ’14 pitched 7.2 innings to improve his record to 5-1, and Alex Cillo ’12 recorded his fourth save.

“We played very well defensively, and since most of our pitchers are not big strikeout guys, we rely heavily on the defense to make plays, which they have done very well all year,” Weigel said. “Shortstop Robb Scott also had a huge weekend, hitting over .500 including a game winning RBI single in game one while playing great defense all weekend.”

Games two and three on Saturday were both low-scoring, with the Bison winning game two by a final score of 4-3 and the Hawks winning game three 2-1. In game two, pitcher Ryan Ebner ’12 received four runs of support in the second inning and made it last, giving up only two runs over six innings. In game three, Bryson Hough ’15 threw a complete game while allowing only two runs, but the Bison offense was unable to back him up, scoring only one run on an error. The offense struggled again in game four, resulting in a 7-1 defeat.

“The pitching was overall very solid against St. Joseph’s this past weekend,” Hough said. “Even though the hitting was a little off this past weekend, we’re not particularly worried about it. I’ve seen our hitters do some amazing stuff in our past games, so I know it’s definitely there.”

The Bison won the first game of the Binghamton doubleheader 2-1 behind tremendous pitching from Russell Seidell ’12, who threw a complete game and gave up only one run. Infielder Will Mooney ’14 drove in the eventual winning run in the fifth inning. Binghamton managed to split the doubleheader by ending the second game in a 10-4 Bison loss.

The Bison have their first Patriot League matchup this weekend with a four-game homestead against Holy Cross, starting at 12 p.m. tomorrow.

“It’s an exciting part of the season for us as we head into Patriot League play this weekend,” Scott said. “It’s time to see what we’re made of.”

 

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Baseball Men Sports

Baseball takes two of three at home

Andrew Arnao

Staff Writer

The baseball team came away from last weekend’s opening home stand with a 2-1 series victory against Niagara, recording an 11-10 victory on Saturday followed by a series-clinching 4-3 win on Sunday. The team was led by outfielder Bob Donato ’12, who received the Patriot League Baseball Player of the Week award for the second week in a row.

“It was good to win another weekend series, especially since we did it without our best play,” head coach Gene Depew said. “The cold weather and wind made for challenging playing conditions and we did not play our best defense in the first two games on Saturday.”

The Bison, who are 6-3 overall, earned the victory in game one on Saturday when they scored six runs in the bottom of the fourth to come back from an 8-0 deficit. They scored off two Niagara errors and a two-RBI hit by infielder Carter Bumgarder ’13. Pinch hitter Scott Glass ’13 tied the game in the fifth, and the Bison added two more runs in the sixth.

“Our team came back from 8-0 down in the first game,” Donato said. “That showed us a lot about ourselves. The hitters made adjustments and our pitchers were throwing better. Not many baseball teams can do that.”

Niagara scored two runs in the seventh to knot the score at 10-10, which forced extra innings. After two scoreless innings by pitcher Alex Cillio ’12, Donato won the game in the bottom of the ninth with a dramatic walk-off home run.

“I thought we did a good job of putting together a solid team effort,” said first baseman Russell Seidell ’12, who had three hits in game one. “We had guys stepping up in key situations and getting the job done. I really liked the way our team stayed positive and upbeat even when we were down, and that enabled us to battle back from an eight-run deficit in game one.”

“This weekend showed how we are a team that never quits,” pitcher Dan Weigel ’14 said. “To come back and win game one after being down really proved the resilience of our guys.”

After a 17-4 victory by Niagara on Saturday night, the Bison bounced back in game three behind Weigel, who pitched 8.1 innings while allowing only three runs on eight hits. Weigel has been the Bison’s most effective starter so far this year, leading regular pitchers in innings (22.2), wins (3) and ERA (2.38). Second baseman Travis Clark ’13 led the offense with two RBI, and extended his team-leading hitting streak to nine games.

“Timely hitting was very important in our first victory on Saturday and a great pitching performance by Dan Weigel led us to another victory [on Sunday],” Cillio said. “If we can win two out of three without playing our best baseball, we are going to be really tough to beat when we’re playing our best.”

Donato finished the series batting .462 and became the first Bison player to win back-to-back Patriot League Baseball Player of the Week awards since 2004. He currently leads the team in home runs (4), hits (19), runs (12) and total bases (38).

The next stop for the Bison is in Florida, where the team will participate in the Russ Matt Invitational.

“We’re looking forward to playing seven games in seven days over spring break on our Florida trip,” Depew said. 

 

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Baseball takes series at JMU

By Andrew Arnao

Staff Writer

The baseball team picked up three wins (8-6, 22-6, and 13-6) and a loss (12-1) in a four-game series at James Madison last weekend. Outfielder Bob Donato ’12 was named Patriot League Baseball Player of the Week after he helped lead the Orange and the Blue to a 4-2 record, their best start to a season since 2003.

The Bison entered the series having only defeated James Madison once in 22 previous meetings.

“This series against James Madison was one of the early matchups we had circled as a team because of our past history against them,” shortstop Carter Bumgardner ’13 said.

Last season’s matchup against JMU was particularly gruesome for the Bison, who lost four lopsided games, 37-7, 9-2, 26-15 and 19-12.

“Everybody had a lot of anger for what JMU did to us last year, beating us so badly,” pitcher Xavier Hammond ’15 said. “We all wanted to get back at them for that.”

Early on, it appeared the Bison were in for another rough road trip when the Orange and Blue were defeated 12-1 in the opener. Starting pitcher Ryan Ebner ’12 was unusually shaky, giving up nine runs in 3.2 innings. Donato led off the game with a home run, but that was all the offense the team could muster.

The team bounced back in a big way during the following doubleheader on Saturday. The first game of the doubleheader resulted in an 8-6 victory after the Bison came back from a four-run deficit in the sixth inning, with infielder Travis Clark ’13 providing the eventual go-ahead RBI single. Hammond earned the win while relief pitcher Alex Cillo ’12 earned the save after each pitched two effective innings.

“Our offense did a great job of scoring runs for us when we were behind in Game 2 and our defense did well to hold them to six runs,” Hammond said.

Everything started clicking in the second game of the day, when the Orange and the Blue busted out for a 22-6 victory, led by Donato’s two home runs and team record-tying eight RBIs. Pitcher Dan Weigel ’14 was also tremendous, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth before eventually giving up three earned runs in 7.1 innings.

Donato continued to rake in hits in the series finale on Sunday, reaching base five times and finishing the series with a .476 batting average and 11 RBIs. Pitcher Bryson Hough ’15 also made a strong starting debut, giving up only two earned runs through six innings and earning the win as the Bison triumphed 13-6.

“I thought our pitching staff did a great job throwing strikes and keeping JMU hitters off-balance,” infielder David Duffet ’12 said. “Our defense played well behind the pitchers, and our offense was able to score enough runs to win.”

The Bison make their home debut this weekend, playing a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday against Niagara.

“This weekend Niagara will be another important step in that process as we are looking forward to playing at home and continuing our good play,” head coach Gene Depew said. “We can’t afford to sit back and be satisfied with one good weekend.  We need to develop the consistency that will allow us to be competitive every weekend.”

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Baseball earns split in N.C.

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

The baseball team opened its season by splitting a pair of games against Niagara and La Salle last weekend in Davidson, N.C. The Orange and Blue squad earned its first win of the season against Niagara 8-4 after falling in the season opener to La Salle 3-1. 

Against Niagara, Bob Donato ’12 ignited the offense with three hits and three RBIs. The Bison jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first off an RBI single by David Duffett ’12 and a sac fly by Matt Lamore ’12. After Niagara cut the deficit to 2-1, the Orange and Blue took control with a five-run fourth inning. Six of the first seven batters reached base to start. The big hit came from Donato, who smashed a bases-clearing double to extend the lead to 7-1.

“The count was 2-0 and I knew that the pitcher was going to give me a fastball and that’s what happened,” Donato said. “I put a good swing on it and it went down the right-field line.”

Dan Weigel ’14 was impressive in his first collegiate start, pitching seven strong innings, allowing only one unearned while striking out eight and allowing four hits.

“Since it was my first ever start for Bucknell, I tried to keep things pretty simple and just throw my game,” Weigel said. “I was lucky to have some great defense behind me on Saturday.”

Niagara added three runs in the ninth off All-Patriot League reliever Alex Cillo ’12.

Donato and cleanup hitter Travis Clark ’13, who finished two-for-four, produced five of the Bison’s eight hits.

In their season opener, the Bison fell in a tightly contested pitcher’s duel to the La Salle Explorers. Ryan Ebner ’12, Patriot League Pitcher of the Year for 2011, was solid in his season debut, allowing three runs (two of them earned) in 3.1 innings while striking out five. The Explorers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but the Bison quickly cut the deficit to 2-1 in the second inning. After Duffett led off the inning with a double, Brett Ashley ’14 singled, placing runners at first and third. With two outs, the double steal was on as Ashley stole second and Duffett scored on the rare steal of home. Ashley finished the game two-for-four as the only player on either team to record multiple hits. Relievers Dan Goldstein ’13 and Marcus Garone ’13 combined to pitch 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing only two walks and a single.

The Bison will return to action today when they travel to James Madison to begin a four game series against the Dukes. After the team’s strong end to the weekend, the club seems confident heading into the weekend’s four game series.

“We played extremely well against Niagara and will be carrying that momentum into James Madison,” Donato said. “Our pitchers were doing their jobs and the hitters were putting the ball in play. If we can continue to do that, then we will be a dangerous team in the Patriot League.”

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Cillo ’12 earns national preseason recognition

By Andrew Lichtenauer

Senior Writer

After an impressive junior season in relief for the Orange and Blue, Alex Cillo ’12 was nominated as one of 45 potential collegiate pitchers for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association(NCBWA)Stopper of the Year Award. The award, to be announced during the 2012 College World Series, is given each year to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.

The Bucknellian spoke with Cillo this past week about the upcoming season for the Bison.

The Bucknellian: What do you think has contributed the most to your success on the mound throughout your career as a Bison?

Cillo: Learning how to locate my fastball, slider, and change-up has been very effective for me.  I’ve worked with Coach [Scott] Heather (our pitching coach) a lot to get to where I am today in terms of control. Also, [starting catcher] Scott Reed [’12] and I work very well together.  We’re always on the same page when it comes to what pitches to throw and when.

The Bucknellian: What, if anything, do you think you can improve on from last season?

Cillo: I could improve even more on my control.  The more control, the better.  Also, I could improve on throwing better pitches in certain counts. It’s important to be able to set up the batters in certain counts so that the next pitch is even more effective than it previously would have been.

The Bucknellian: What would you consider to be your greatest accomplishment so far in your career?

Cillo: Personally, my greatest accomplishment was last season as a whole. I thought that I threw pretty well the bulk of the year and I only gave up two runs in Patriot League play. As a team, I think our greatest accomplishment was winning the Patriot League title in 2010. We needed to win one game against Army to make it to playoffs and we managed to win one game. Then we went back to Army for the first round of the Patriot League Playoffs and won that series. We then came back to win two games on Saturday at Holy Cross after we lost a tough game the night before by one run. We fought hard against two tough teams and managed to win the Patriot League.

The Bucknellian: What goals do you have for yourself personally for the upcoming season?

Cillo: This season I would like to win the Patriot League title. We have a very solid team, from the senior class to the freshman class. There are many players on our team, both upper and underclassmen who are going to contribute big this year and help us accomplish our season goal.

Cillo and the rest of the Bison will hit the field in for opening day with games against La Salle and Niagara at Davidson, N.C. on Saturday.

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Baseball Men Sports

Baseball attempts to recreate 2010 NCAA appearance

Andrew Arnao

Staff Writer

The men’s baseball team will kick off its season on Feb. 18 in Davidson, N.C. against La Salle and Niagara. The Orange and Blue hope to build on their 25-28 record from last year.

“We are looking forward to getting started next weekend,” head coach Gene Depew said. “The warm weather has given us more of an opportunity to be on the field than we ever have had in the past. We have a solid group of seniors who would like to take their second trip to the NCAA Regionals.”

The Bison last made the NCAA Tournament in 2010, after winning the Patriot League tournament for the fifth time in school history. The team advanced to the Patriot League semifinals last season but lost a three-game series to Navy 2-1.

“Our loss to Navy in the playoffs last year has been something driving us during the offseason,” starting pitcher Ryan Ebner ’12 said. “We have a lot of guys with experience, especially since we have 10 seniors, all of whom will be seeing time this year. We also have some underclassmen that have been stepping up, so there will be plenty of competition for starting spots.”

Some of the returning seniors include 2011 All-Patriot League selections Ebner, relief pitcher Alex Cillo ’12, outfielder Bob Donato ’12 and pitcher/outfielder Matt Lamore ’12. Ebner also earned the Patriot League Pitcher of the Year award in 2011.

“We will need our senior pitchers to perform to their best and for some underclassmen to step up and have a great year,” Depew said.

“Our keys to success will be our ability to score runs consistently and to put together a complete game as a pitching staff,” Ebner said. “Our weak point [is] our speed, but we will be able to make up for it by playing smart and doing the little things right offensively.”

The Bison’s first home game is not until March 3, and they will not begin to play Patriot League games until the end of March. Schedule highlights include the Russ Matt Invitational in Florida in mid-March, as well as four-game home-stands against Holy Cross (March 31 and April 1), Lehigh (April 14-15) and a revenge matchup against Navy (April 7-8). The Patriot League Tournament starts in May.

“We have depth at every position and everyone on the team is working hard in practice,” outfielder Matt Busch ’13 said. “Our expectations for this year are winning a conference championship, and the Patriot League playoffs. A lot of the guys feel like anything less than this would be a disappointment. This is our year.”