Facing the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in Bethlehem, Pa., the Bison Baseball team came in hot in the first game of this series of three. 

In the first inning, two of the Bison batters got struck by the pitch, allowing them to walk. Junior Grant Voytovich came to the plate and boomed a ball over the left-field wall, giving the Bison a 3-0 lead already. 

Lehigh was not able to return the heat with Chris DiFiore ’23 throwing dimes. Anthony Sherwin ’24 then hit his second home run of the year in the top of the second, increasing the lead to 4-0. 

Lehigh gained some ground in the third inning, though. A two-run homer in the third and a three-run homer in the fifth allowed the Mountain Hawks to change the score to 4-6.  In the sixth inning, the Bison regained their footing and hit the ball out of the park, literally. Jake Wortman ’23 and Kyle Lyons ’23 got on the bases with singles. Sherwin loaded the bases with a bunt. 

Voytovich, yet again, soared a ball over the left wall, changing the score to 8-6. Theo Farynick ’23 and Ryan Osinski ’26 were able to hold off Lehigh over the next couple of innings other than one run. Osinski ended the game at 8-7. 

The second game of the day started but was soon suspended due to the weather. The Bison were able to gain a 3-0 lead in the second inning with singles from Tyler Dunn ’25, Billy Kender ’25 and Chris Klein ’23. Lyons drove in a run with Sherwin following and driving in two more runs. Lehigh came back with power, slamming three home runs and extra runs, leading the game 5-3. 

A sacrifice ball then allowed the Mountain Hawks to change the score to 3-6. The game ended due to lightning but would be rescheduled for the next day. 

The following day did not start well for the Bucknell Baseball Team. The first inning was silent for both teams. 

In the top of the second, Dunn started with a single to center field. Kender singled, Klein walked and Lyons was able to get on base on a fielder’s choice, sending Dunn home. Lyons was then able to steal second base; with Sherwin up next and singling, both Lyons and Kender were able to score. 

The next two innings were uneventful, keeping the score 3-0 with the Bison in the lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Lehigh was able to get ahead. Three home runs with walks in between changed the score to 3-5. Lehigh was able to score another run in the fifth through a single. 

At the top of the seventh, Nic Adamo ’23 and Sherwin got on the bases, and Jacob Corson ’24 singled, allowing Adamo to score. Lehigh returned with three more runs in the bottom of the seventh. In the next inning, the Mountain Hawks were able to gain one more run through singles. The game ended 4-10. Lehigh won. 

Tied in the series, the Bison knew they had to put in the work and win. In the bottom of the first inning, Lehigh scored three runs. Multiple singles led teammates to home plate. The game remained silent for the next couple of innings. 

In the fourth, Sherwin doubled, and Voytovich followed and doubled, sending his teammate home. Sophomore Sean Keys singled, advancing Voytovich to third. Corson reached on a fielder’s choice, sending Voytovich home, ending the inning at 2-3. 

Lehigh returned this front with one more run in the bottom of the fourth. In the fifth, Sherwin hit a triple and got sent home by Voytovich in the next play. Lehigh scored three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. 

The Bison men returned this with two more runs in the seventh. Lyons walked. Sherwin doubled with Voytovich to follow, sending Lyons home. Keys flew out, allowing Sherwin to score. The inning ended with a score of 5-7. 

It was not until the top of the ninth that Bison reeled it in and took over the game. Lyons walked with Sherwin running out. Voytovich walked, sending Lyons to second. Keys flew out. Corson came up to bat with two outs and boomed the ball over the right-field fence. Three runs allowed the Bison to steal the game and change the score to 8-7. 

The Mountain Hawks could not come back from this, so the Bison came out with the win. 

“This weekend gave us a couple of wins on the road, which we needed heading into the last weekend,” Dunn said. “Our team put the pieces together in these close games against the Lehigh squad that was starting to get hot. As of right now, I think everybody feels that we are in a good spot. We are excited to get after it this week and next weekend.”

The Bison return to play on Wednesday in Philadelphia against Saint Joseph’s and then finish up Patriot League play with a series against Holy Cross at their home field.