Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Lehigh
Lehigh Rallies, Tops Army
March 31, 2014 | Baseball
March 31, 2014
Box Score
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Lehigh scored on a wild pitch in the final inning and edged Army, 5-4, Monday afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader at Doubleday field at Johnson Stadium.
Lehigh led 4-2 before Army knotted the game in the eighth inning.
Lehigh improved to 1-1 in league games and 10-10 overall.
Army moved to 15-8 overall and 1-1 in league contests.
Army won the first game in the series, 2-0, on Saturday. Heavy rains forced postponement until Monday and the nine-inning contest was played first, technically the second game of the conference season. Saturday's second game was a seven-inning contest.
Army starting pitcher Alex Robinett threw seven innings and allowed four runs, two of which were earned. He struck out five and walked just one. Brian Hapeman relieved in the eighth inning. Hapeman threw 1.2 innings and was saddled with the loss. Johnny Griffith got one out in the ninth inning.
Nick Cassell picked up the win for Lehigh with 1.2 innings of work. Nick Stephens started and walked three and allowed two earned runs over 7.1 innings.
Army started strong. Jon Crucitti laced a single in the bottom of the first and Daniel Cortes followed with a base hit. Both runners advanced on a passed ball before Jacob Page delivered a run-scoring single to score Crucitti and send Cortes to third. Page took second on the throw. Kris Lindner grounded out to score Cortes and Page took third.
Lehigh got a pair of runs back in the top of the second inning, taking advantage of two Army errors to knot the game at 2.
The Mountain Hawks went on top in the fifth inning. With one out, Patrick Donnelly singled and Justin Pacchioli was hit by a pitch. Mike Garzillo doubled and plated both runners and gave Lehigh a 4-2 advantage.
Army knotted the game at 4 in the bottom of the eighth inning. Mark McCants led off with a double and Page was hit by a pitch. Lindner delivered a double just inside the left-field line to score McCants. After a fielder's choice, Harold Earls delivered a single to tie the game at four.
Lehigh answered in the top of the ninth inning. Tim McKay was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on a single by Pacchioli. He scored on a wild pitch for a 5-4 lead.
Army had a runner on in the bottom of the ninth. Pinch-hitter Grant Van Orden singled and Justin Reece was called on to run. Crucitti advanced him with a two-strike bunt but a ground out and fly out ended the game.
GAME NOTES: Army wore its white pinstripe uniforms ... Army head groundskeeper Billy German and his staff had Doubleday Field in excellent condition, despite the heavy rains Saturday and Sunday ... Per Patriot League guidelines, the first game of Monday's doubleheader was nine innings and the second game seven to following the 9, 7, 9, 7 format of league weekends ... The second nine-inning game will be made up if necessary at a date and time to be announced.
