Mountain Hawks play Saint Joseph’s Tuesday in Philadelphia

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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Following a 2-2 weekend with wins against Navy and Bucknell, the Lehigh baseball team resumes mid-week action against Saint Joseph’s Tuesday afternoon at 3 pm from Smithson Field in the consolation semifinal round of the Liberty Bell Classic. The Mountain Hawks (15-13, 3-5 PL) bookended the weekend with a victory Saturday against the Midshipmen and one Sunday over the Bison.

Lehigh took down Navy, 10-4 in Game 1 Saturday before falling, 9-3 in the nightcap. It fell to Bucknell, 14-8 in the first game and got the win in the second, 5-4.

Senior Joe Gorla returned to the lineup for the first time since 2021 after missing time due to injury suffered in the preseason. Gorla hit .538 (7-for-13) in four games with three doubles, a home run and four RBIs. He slugged 1,000 and reached base at a .625 clip. In addition, senior Adam Retzbach hit .500 (7-for-14) with two doubles and four RBIs, while Tyler Young also hit .500 (5-for-10) with two doubles and seven runs driven in.

Sophomore Riley Davis, who is currently on a 24-game reached base streak, leads the team in batting (.344) with 32 hits, eight doubles, two home runs and 16 RBIs. Senior Casey Rother is fourth with a .313 average, tallying a team-high 35 hits with nine doubles, two home runs and 19 RBIs.

Val Taddei continues to pace the Lehigh bullpen with an ERA of 2.61 in 10.1 innings of work, while Jack Hamilton is 2-0 with a 3.09 ERA with nine strikeouts and four walks.

Saint Joseph’s is 13-12 overall with a 1-2 record in A-10 play currently and are coming off a victory at UMass, 16-13 on Saturday. The Hawks lost two before that to the Minutemen, falling 23-7 in Game 1 and 13-12 in Game 2.

Brendan Hueth leads the way with a .398 average, 41 hits, three home runs, two doubles and 31 RBIs in 24 games. Three other players have above a 1,000 OPS with Brett Callahan (1,075), Andrew Cossetti (1,310) and Nate Thomas (1,098). Cossetti has the team-lead in home runs with 12 and is currently ranked seventh in NCAA Division I.

On the mound, Matt McShane leads SJU with a 3-0 record and a 1.33 ERA in 10 appearances.

Lehigh is 17-12-2 all-time vs. Saint Joseph’s, last playing in 2019, a 20-15 victory for the Mountain Hawks in Philadelphia. Lehigh trailed, 11-0 after two innings, scoring 20 runs on 21 hits to rally back for a five-run win in 10 innings at Smithson Field. The 11-run comeback is the program’s largest in the Patriot League era and one of, if not the largest comeback from a deficit in Lehigh baseball’s 136-year history.

Tuesday’s matchup will not be live streamed, but live stats will be provided.

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