BETHLEHEM, Pa. – No. 1 Army West Point (29-21, 18-7 PL) advanced to the Patriot League Baseball Championship Series, and No. 2 Bucknell (20-23, 14-11 PL) took a one-game lead over No 3 Lehigh (26-23, 12-13 PL) during the first day of play in the 2022 Patriot League Baseball Championship Semifinals.  
 
The three-time defending champion Black Knights swept the best two-of-three game series against No. 4 Holy Cross (17-37, 11-14 PL) at Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field to make their fourth-consecutive trip to the championship series. Army West Point scored six unanswered runs to earn a 9-3 victory in the first game. Senior left fielder Nick Manesis, sophomore third baseman Sam Ruta and junior first baseman Ross Friedrick combined to drive in 12 runs to lead the Black Knights to a 14-2 win in game two.
 
The second-seeded Bison slugged their way to a 10-8 win in game one despite a lightning delay of nearly one hour. Game two of the series has been moved to Sunday, with the first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m. The third game, if necessary, will begin 30 minutes following game two. Both games will be available live on ESPN+.
 
For more information on the 2022 Patriot League Baseball Championship, CLICK HERE.
 
No. 4 Holy Cross at No. 1 Army West Point (Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field/West Point, N.Y.)

Date	Game	Time/Results	Coverage
Saturday, May 14	Semifinals – Holy Cross at Army West Point	Army, 9-3	ESPN+
Saturday, May 14	Semifinals – Holy Cross at Army West Point	Army, 11-2	ESPN+

 
No. 3 Lehigh at No. 2 Bucknell (Depew Field/Lewisburg, Pa.)

Date	Game	Time	Coverage
Saturday, May 14	Semifinals – Lehigh at Bucknell	Bucknell, 10-8	ESPN+
Sunday, May 15	Semifinals – Lehigh at Bucknell	11 a.m.	ESPN+
Sunday, May 15	Semifinals – Lehigh at Bucknell (if necessary)	3 p.m.	ESPN+

 
2022 Patriot League Baseball Championship – Semifinal Round
NO. 3 LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (26-23, 12-13 PL) AT NO. 2 BUCKNELL BISON (20-23, 14-11 PL)
Depew Field/Lewisburg, Pa.
GAME 1:  At Bucknell 10, Lehigh 8 | BOX SCORE
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Senior second baseman Brendan Lowery went 2-for-3 with a game-high three RBIs to lead No. 2 Bucknell to a 10-8 victory over No. 3 Lehigh in game one of the 2022 Patriot League Baseball Championship Semifinals at Depew Field.
*Lowery was one of four Bison batters to drive on multiple runs, with sophomore shortstop Anthony Sherwin, sophomore right fielder Grant Voytovich and senior designated hitter Kendall Pierson finishing with two RBIs apiece.
*Lehigh took an early lead, as sophomore shortstop Tyler Young doubled and came around to score in the top of the second before senior first baseman Joe Gorla plated one run with a single in the third inning.
*Bucknell tied the score in the fourth inning on Lowery’s RBI double and Sherwin drawing a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded.
*The Mountain Hawks and Bison traded leads three more times before Lowery tied the score with a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth, and Sherwin put Bucknell in front for good with a one-run single in the seventh.
*Senior left fielder Chris Cannizzaro followed Sherwin’s RBI single with a two-run home run to left field to put the Bison in front 10-7.
*Lehigh senior third baseman Gerard Sweeney scored in the top of the eighth on a Bison throwing error, but Bucknell freshman right-hander Tyler O’Neill retired the final four batters of the game to preserve the victory.
*O’Neill allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits over 4.0 innings of relief to earn the win. He struck out four and walked one.
*Sophomore RHP Tyler Thompson was charged with the loss, allowing two runs on two hits in two-thirds of an inning.
RECAPS: LEHIGH | BUCKNELL
GAME 2: May 15 – 11 a.m. | GAME 3: May 15 - 3 p.m. (if necessary)
WATCH | LIVE STATS
 
NO. 4 HOLY CROSS CRUSADERS (17-37, 11-14 PL) AT NO. 1 ARMY WEST POINT BLACK KNIGHTS (29-21, 18-7 PL)
Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field/West Point, N.Y.
WEST POINT, N.Y. – No. 1 Army West Point swept No. 4 Holy Cross to advance to the Patriot League Baseball Championship Series for the fourth consecutive time.
GAME 1: At Army West Point 9, Holy Cross 3 | BOX SCORE
GAME ONE RECAP: Junior shortstop Kevin Dubrule and senior left fielder Nick Manesis drove in two runs apiece to lead the top-seeded Black Knights to a 9-3 game-one victory over No. 4 Holy Cross.
*Sophomore lefty Connelly Early, the 2022 Patriot League Pitcher of the Year, picked up the win by allowing three runs on six hits over 8.0 innings. He struck out seven and walked three.
*Army West Point took the lead in the bottom of the first inning when sophomore third baseman Sam Ruta singled to drive in senior centerfielder Hunter Meade. Meade scored a game-high three runs.
*Holy Cross answered in the top of the second when freshman third baseman Nick Wang, the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, hit a solo home run to left field.
*Meade scored again in the third inning to put Army in front, but the Crusaders answered in the fourth with a two-run homer by freshman catcher Andrew Whinney.
*Dubrule’s two-run double highlighted a four-run fourth inning by the Black Knights to put the game out of reach.
*Army junior first baseman Ross Friedrick hit a solo home run in the seventh inning, and senior catcher Cam Cerruto scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 9-3. Cerruto finished 2-for-4 with two runs.
*Holy Cross junior RHP Jack DiLauro was charged with the loss, allowing seven runs, four earned, in 4.0 innings.
GAME 2: At Army West Point 14, Holy Cross 2 | BOX SCORE
GAME TWO RECAP: Manesis went 4-for-6 with a game-high five RBIs, while Ruta and Friedrick drove in four and three runs, respectively, to lead the top-seeded Black Knights to a two-game sweep with a 14-2 win over No. 4 Holy Cross.
*The top five hitters in the Black Knights’ lineup combined to go 16-for-27, while Meade and Dubrule scored four runs apiece from the top two spots in the lineup.
*Junior RHP Brian Dawson allowed one run on five hits through 5.0 innings to earn the series-clinching win for Army West Point.
*Crusaders’ freshman second baseman Connor Peek went 3-for-3 with two runs in the loss. Freshman right fielder Sean Scanlon went 1-for-2 with two RBIs for Holy Cross.
*Army West Point jumped out to a 6-0 lead through the first four innings before Scanlon singled to drive in Peek.
*Friedrick’s two-run single in the sixth inning extended the Black Knights’ lead to 8-1 before Scanlon walked with the bases loaded for the Peek to score the Crusaders’ second run.
*Army junior designated hitter Bennett Smith, Dubrule and Ruta each drove in runs in the seventh to build the lead to 11-2.
*Ruta and Manesis both drove in runs with doubles in the eighth inning to give the Black Knights an insurmountable 14-2 lead in clinching a trip to the Patriot League Baseball Championship Series for the fourth-straight time it has been held.
RECAPS: HOLY CROSS | ARMY WEST POINT
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athlete can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.