The Bucknell baseball team ended a three-game losing streak with a 13-9 victory over Maine in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at Depew Field. Michael Trommer’s two-run double in the third inning put the Bison ahead for good, and Luke Nascimento followed with an RBI single to extend the lead and secure the win.
After two pitchers’ duels in the first two games of the series, both teams erupted offensively, combining for 18 runs in the first three innings. Bucknell led 11-9 heading into the eighth inning, where senior Tyler Dunn hit a ball off the top of the right field wall for a two-run double, pushing the score to 13-9 and providing some insurance for the Bison.
On the mound, senior Nick Mulvey was instrumental in holding off Maine’s offense. Entering in the third inning with the bases loaded, Mulvey allowed two inherited runs but quickly settled in, striking out the side in the sixth inning to end his day with 3.1 scoreless innings. Sophomore Jonathan Adelmann came in for the final two innings and struck out the side in the ninth to secure his second save of the season.
The game started with chaos, as Bucknell exploded for five runs in the first inning. Senior Billy Kender led off with a line drive into right field, and the inning quickly became messy with three walks, a hit-by-pitch, two errors, and two fielder’s choices. Sophomore Chris Morabito drove in a run with a single, while senior Matt Alexander walked in another. The Bison went on to collect 10 hits in the game, with four players recording two hits each.
Maine responded in the second inning, cutting Bucknell’s lead to 5-3, but the Bison answered with two more runs to extend their advantage to 7-3. The Black Bears then took an 8-7 lead in the third inning, but Bucknell regained control, ending the inning with a 10-8 advantage. Mulvey’s relief work in the middle innings helped to keep Maine at bay, and Kender added a sacrifice fly in the fourth to extend the lead.
Freshman Samuel Janik took over for Mulvey in the sixth, getting the final two outs of the inning. Adelmann came on in the seventh, with Maine threatening and two runners on base. After Maine cut the lead to 11-9, Adelmann struck out a batter to end the inning. He continued to dominate, earning three strikeouts in the eighth and ninth innings to seal the victory.
Adelmann remains perfect on the season, with no earned runs through 11.2 innings in six appearances. He has struck out 18 batters and opponents are hitting just .125 against him. Mulvey’s outing was his longest of the season and his third scoreless appearance for the Bison.
Offensively, Kender, Trommer, Morabito, and Nascimento each collected two hits. Trommer drove in three runs, while Morabito and Dunn added two RBIs each. Dunn extended his hitting streak to five games, having picked up a hit in every game since returning to the lineup after missing seven games.
Next, Bucknell will head south for Spring Break, where they will play six games in six days. The Bison will face Florida Atlantic and Florida International in Florida, starting with a two-game series against Florida Atlantic on Tuesday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m. at FAU Baseball Stadium.
Related topics:
