Baseball 5/15/2005 12:00:00 AM

Army wins second-straight Patriot League Baseball Championship title

May 15, 2005

WEST POINT, N.Y. - Top-seeded Army only needed two of the three games in the championship series of the 2005 Patriot League Baseball Tournament to capture its second-straight League title. The Black Knights defeated Lehigh by a score of 10-1 on Sunday at Doubleday Field on the base of the U.S. Military Academy. Game one was decided in the favor of the Black Knights by a score of 6-2 yesterday, after Lehigh moved onto the championship series by topping Bucknell, 5-2, in the elimination game.

Army won the League tourney in similar fashion a year ago, winning game one by a modest margin over Lafayette, 3-1, then exploding for a 16-2 victory in game two that sent them to the NCAA Tournament.

The Black Knights scored 10 runs on 13 hits, including four home runs, while relying on solid pitching to earn their second NCAA berth in as many years and third overall as a Patriot League member.

Army senior first baseman Walker Gorham (Wilmington, N.C./E.A. Laney) set or tied three records with his performance today on his way to being named the tournament Most Valuable Player. His three bombs broke both an Academy and Patriot League record for home runs in a single game, while it ties a Patriot League tournament record. Gorham was 4-for-7 over two games, with three of those hits going over the fence. Over the course of the tournament the senior first baseman scored four runs and batted in six.

Army improved to 37-11 on the season, tying the Patriot League record for wins in a season, which was a feat the Black Knights accomplished last season as well. Lehigh heads home with a 26-21-1 record.

The Black Knights started the game scoring in back-to-back innings, sparked by a Gorham home run in the second. Jason Meloy (Naches, Wash./Naches Valley) scored in the very next frame when Milan Dinga (Tampa, Fla./Robinson) grounded into a double play.

The second home run of the game came courtesy of Black Knight freshman Cole White (Midland, Texas/Midland) in the fifth, scoring Chris Simmons (Prairieville, La./Dutchtown) as well. Simmons had singled right before White came to bat.

For the third time in eight contests Gorham registered a multi-home run game by hitting one over the fence in top of the sixth and eight, scoring three runs in total. His second shot of the day was a solo effort, while his eighth frame home run brought in Schuyler Williamson (Pensacola, Fla./Pensacola Catholic), who had doubled to reach base. The Black Knights would not stop there as Nate Stone (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte) reached second on a Lehigh fielding error, moved over to third on a wild pitch and crossed the plate when Simmons doubled to right center. Lehigh brought in its third pitcher of the day Jed Davitt (Manchester, N.H./Manchester West), who immediately gave up a single to White that drove in Jeremy Stache (Louisville, Tenn./Alcoa). Kyle Scogin (Salt Lake City, Utah/Brighton) drove in another with a single to third, scoring Simmons. Davitt got out of the inning forcing Dinga to ground into his second double play of the game.

Lehigh righthander Joe Matteo (Fort Washington, Pa./Georgetown), who threw seven innings, was replaced by Matt Mezzancello (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) to pitch to the Black Knights in the eighth.

Senior Wade Greenlee (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) relieved senior Justin Kashner (Effort, Pa./Pleasant Valley) of his pitching duties in the bottom half of the eighth. The Mountain Hawks came out swinging with singles by Joe Ercolano (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield) and Nick Bet (Coplay, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic), but misfortune struck when Matt McBride (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) lined into a triple play to quickly end the inning.

The Black Knights went down in order in the top of the ninth and called upon Dan Cappello (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby) to close the game out. The Mountain Hawks were able to push one run across in the final frame, but their efforts were not enough to start a rally. Andrew Smith (Palo Alto, Calif./Choate Rosemary Hall) walked with one out, eventually coming all the way around on a Mike Sandonato (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull) single.

Six Black Knights recorded hits in the win, five with multi-hit games led by Gorham who was 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBI. Meloy also collected three hits, while White was 2-for-4 with one run, three RBI and one home run. Kashner improved to 9-2 on the season, giving up only four hits in seven innings of work with five strikeouts.

Ercolano was the only Mountain Hawk with multiple hits, going 3-for-4 on the day. Sandonato had a hit and a RBI. Matteo suffered the loss, allowing five runs on eight hits.

The NCAA selection show will take place Monday, May 30 at 10:30 a.m. on ESPN. Regionals will be held at 16 campus or off campus sites June 3-6. Army's past NCAA opponents include Rutgers and Penn State in 2000 and LSU and College of Charleston in 2004.