Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Bucknell
Mescher Caps Army Comeback Win Versus Bucknell
April 12, 2014 | Baseball
April 12, 2014
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Senior Patrick Mescher drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh to cap Army’s 6-5, come-from-behind victory over Bucknell in the first game of Saturday’s Patriot League baseball doubleheader at Doubleday Field. The Black Knights improve 21-10 overall and 6-2 in conference play, while the Bison dropped to 17-13-1 overall and 7-2 in league games.
Army entered the top of the seventh with a 4-2 lead, but the Bison scored three runs to take their first lead of the game. The Bison brought in closer Tucker Rekucki to pitch the seventh, but the Black Knights touched the right-hander for two runs to win it. Jon Crucitti started the rally with a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sacrifice by Harold Earls. Crucitti came around to plate the tying run on a single by Mark McCants, and after Kris Lindner was hit by a pitch, Mescher provided the game-winner with a bloop single to right that chased home McCants with the winning run.
“We were relaxed and just took what came to us,” interim head coach Matt Ried said. “We didn’t try to do too much. We just chipped away, and were able to get a couple runs off a very talented pitcher. It was good to see.”
The win was the Black Knights fifth straight in conference play.
Reliever Johnny Griffith was the winning pitcher (2-0) despite giving up the lead in the visitors’ half of the seventh inning. It was the first run allowed all season by the rookie closer. Starter Nick Dignacco went six and one-third innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. He struck out eight and did not walk a batter. Rekucki was denied his sixth save of the season, giving up two runs on two hits. He walked one in one-third of an inning. Bryson Hough started for the Bison, giving up four runs and five hits in five and two-thirds.
Mescher, Alex Jensen and Jacob Page led the Army offense with two hits each. McCants and Daniel Cortes also had hits. Cortes drove in two runs with a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Brett Smith, Corey Furman and Justin Meier each had two singles to lead Bucknell. The Bison’s Joe Ogren doubled to account for the only extra-base hit in the game.
Army opened the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the second without a base hit leaving the infield. Mescher was hit by a pitch, one of three in the game for the Black Knights, and moved to second on a bunt single by Jensen. The Bucknell battery watched the ball roll to a stop with neither fielding it. Page followed with another bunt that Hough fielded, but couldn’t get the throw off in time to get the out at first. With the bases loaded, Brock Davidson flied to center, allowing all three runners to move up. Connor Love was hit by a pitch to reload the bases, and Crucitti knocked in the second run with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Dignacco cruised the early innings, setting down the first nine batters he faced. The Bison got their first hit in the top of the fourth, and Ogren’s double put runners on second and third with only one out. An RBI groundout by Jon Mayer cut the Army lead to just one.
The Bison tied the game with a single run in the top of the sixth. Brett Smith led off with a single and moved to second a base hit by Corey Furman. Ogren bunted both runners into scoring position, and Mayer drove in the tying run with another RBI ground out. Dignacco got Anthony Gingerelli to strike out to end the threat and keep the game tied.
Army answered with two in the home half of the sixth. With one out, Mescher, Jensen and Page all singled to load the bases. The Black Knights tried a squeeze play, but Mescher was tagged out after the Bison catcher was able to field the ball just in front of home plate. Army brought in Cortes as a pinch hitter, and the Bison countered with lefthander Mike Castellani, but Cortes found outfield grass on the first pitch to drive in two runs and stake Army to a 4-2 lead. The Black Knights were unable to find another run in the inning, taking a two-tally edge into the last inning.
Two straight singles and a sacrifice bunt chased Dignacco. Bucknell cut its deficit to 4-3 on a tapper back to the mound by Greg Wasikowski that required an off-balance throw from Griffith to get the out at first. A walk put runners on the corners with two outs, and Furman drove in the tying run with a single. Bucknell scored the go-ahead run when the Black Knights committed an error on a run down between first and second on a double-steal attempt. Jensen made a diving play at shortstop to snare a line drive and keep the Black Knights’ deficit at just two runs and set up the comeback.
