Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Bucknell
Bucknell Salvages Split With 3-1 Win
April 12, 2014 | Baseball
April 12, 2014
WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army baseball team overcame a deficit in its last at-bat in the first game of the day, but could not produce similar results in the nightcap, dropping a 3-1 decision to Bucknell on Saturday afternoon at Doubleday Field. The loss snapped Army’s five-game conference winning streak and kept the Black Knights one and one-half games behind the first-place Bison.
Army ended the day 21-11 overall and 6-3 in Patriot League play. Bucknell improved to 18-13-1 overall and 8-2 in conference action.
The Black Knights and Bison were scoreless through five innings before Army took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth on a n RBI single by Kris Lindner. Bucknell was able to respond in the top of the seventh with a pair of runs to take the lead and added an insurance marker in the top of the ninth.
Alex Robinett was saddled with the loss (3-3) despite allowing only two runs on four hits in six and two-thirds innings of work. He struck out eight without walking a batter. Brian Hapeman gave up one run on two hits, striking out three and walking one in his two and one-third innings of relief. Dan Weigel (3-4) went the distance for the Bison, surrendering just one run on eight hits. He struck out five and walked two.
“It seems like Weigel has been tough on us for years,” said interim head coach Matt Reid. “He has a good change up, works down in the zone and works fast. He was able to get into a good rhythm. We had eight hits, but obviously didn’t score enough runs. We just have to find a way to execute better.”
Lindner and Harold Earls each had two hits for the Black Knights. Mescher had the team’s only extra-base hit, a double, and scored a run.
Army outhit Bucknell, 8-6. Jon Mayer was the only Bucknell player with two hits, also scoring a pair of runs. Sam Clark knocked in two runs, while Anthony Gingerelli accounted for the Bison’s third RBI.
Robinett breezed through the first six innings, allowing only one hit and striking out five. He retired 11 straight at one point. Weigel was having similar success as just two Black Knights reached base in the first four innings. He was able to wriggle out of trouble in the fifth thanks to a line-drive double play and a ground out to the mound with the bases loaded and two outs.
Army finally broke through in the sixth inning. Mescher smoked a one-out double and came around to score on Lindner’s two-out single. The Black Knights had just two more base runners for the remainder of the game.
Bucknell took the lead for good in the top of the seventh. Two singles and hit batter loaded the bases with one out, and Clark’s two-run single scored the eventual winning run. The Bison tacked on an insurance run in the ninth when Gingerelli followed a one-out double by Mayer with a run-scoring single.
The two teams are back in action on Sunday at Doubleday Field. The first game of the doubleheader gets underway at 1 p.m. The Army seniors will be recognized in a pre-game ceremony.
