LEWISBURG, Pa. – Junior Ty Lagoni’s two-run homer in the seventh inning gave the Bucknell baseball team a 5-4 lead, and the Bison held on for a 9-5 victory in a must-win Game 2 of the Patriot League Championship Series at Depew Field at Marren Park on Tuesday afternoon.
Bucknell and Holy Cross will vie for the Patriot League Championship on Wednesday at 10 a.m. in a winner-takes-all Game 3 at Depew Field.
Down 4-3 in the seventh, Michael Trommer led off the inning with a walk before Lagoni launched one over the left field wall for his fifth home run of the season. The Bison rallied for two more runs in the inning to pull away.
Lagoni was 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs as eight different Bison went for a hit in the ballgame. John Calabrese also had a multi-hit game with a 2-for-4 game with three runs scored.
Brady Hoar went 4.2 innings on the mound with four runs allowed on seven hits. Acting head coach Jason Neitz turned to Everett Garber in the bullpen, who delivered 3.1 strong innings. Garber stranded the bases loaded in the fifth and left another runner at second base in the sixth before the Bison took the lead.
Patriot League saves leader Hadley Maxwell closed out the ninth in a four-run game. He induced a game-ending 6-4-3 double play to seal the win.
Wednesday’s matchup marks the first Game 3 in the Patriot League Championship Series since 2022, when Bucknell fell to Army. It will be the ninth championship series to reach three games since 2008.
After a dominant performance by Jaden Wywoda where the Bucknell had just four hits in Game 1, the Bison responded with nine runs on 10 hits. The Bison also turned two double plays in the field and made no errors. Trommer delivered one of the biggest defensive plays in the fifth with an outfield assist at the plate to keep it a two-run game.
Both starters put up two scoreless innings before Holy Cross broke the tie in the third inning. Owen Stelzer hit a one-out double to give the Crusaders a runner in scoring position. CJ Egrie, who was a triple shy of the cycle in Game 1, tripled to right-center field to drive in the run. Egrie then came home on a ground out to take a 2-0 lead.
Bucknell answered in the bottom half of the inning on Lagoni’s sacrifice fly. With runners on second and third and no outs, Holy Cross starter Jake Lenahan recorded a key strikeout before Lagoni drove in the run. Later in the inning, Garrett Mathias appeared to drop a single into left field, but Ryan Grundy made a difficult running catch to preserve the lead.
Holy Cross extended its advantage to 4-1 in the fourth inning when Gianni Royer doubled and Braden Connors followed with a two-run homer to right-center field. Connors has homered in both games of the series.
Bucknell responded in the bottom of the fourth. Calabrese drew a leadoff walk, and Coupe singled to put runners on first and third. Zach Selfon drove in a run with a groundout to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Holy Cross threatened again in the fifth after Stelzer doubled and Alex Sandell singled through the left side. Trommer fielded the ball quickly and threw out the runner at home plate. Garber entered later in the inning and escaped further damage.
Bucknell cut the deficit to 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth. Trommer singled, Mathias added a two-out hit, and Calabrese reached on an infield single. An error at first base on the play allowed Trommer to score.
Garber worked around a hit batter in the sixth, recording a flyout and two strikeouts to keep the Bison within one run. He then retired the side in order in the seventh.
Trommer drew a leadoff walk in the seventh before Lagoni crushed a 3-2 pitch over the left-field wall to give Bucknell its first lead of the game. The homer chased Lenahan from the game.
The inning continued with a walk to Mathias and an error that put two runners aboard. After two quick outs, Swenson singled up the middle to drive in another run. Deacon Bowne and Billy Fluharty followed with consecutive walks to extend the lead to 7-4.
Holy Cross answered with two doubles in the eighth inning to score a run and put runners on second and third with one out. Garber induced a groundout for the second out before striking out the final batter of the inning.
Bucknell added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. Lagoni was hit by a pitch, and Calabrese singled before stealing second. A ground ball later trickled into left field on an error, allowing both runners to score. Calabrese beat the throw home to make it 9-5.
Maxwell entered in the ninth after Garber’s strong relief outing. After allowing a one-out single, Maxwell induced a ground ball that Lagoni and Swenson turned into a game-ending double play.
Bucknell and Holy Cross will play Game 3 on Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Depew Field at Marren Park.