Baseball 3/28/2012 11:52:00 PM

Sanchez, Liang Power Lightning to 7-4 Win Over NJCU

March 28, 2012

Box Score

BRONX, N.Y. - Lehman starter Francisco Sanchez threw seven superb innings and Michael Liang slammed a three-run home run to power the Lightning to a 7-4 victory over visiting New Jersey City University, pushing the team back above .500 at 6-5 and equaling last season's win total.

Sanchez allowed only one run and six hits while striking out seven as he worked into the eighth inning before tiring. Wilfredo Gonzalez relieved Sanchez, giving up three runs over the final two innings to seal the victory.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak and came against a Gothic Knights team fresh off a win over John Jay on Tuesday.

Sanchez took the hill hoping to bounce back from a poor performance in his last start against CSI and he immediately faced danger in the first. NJCU third baseman Brian Bustillo singled with one out, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch by Sanchez. But with two outs, Sanchez reared back to blow a 3-2 fastball by Alex Weinstein to end the inning.

Lehman rewarded Sanchez in the bottom of the inning, plating a run when Michael Liang, who had singled earlier in the frame, came around to score on a wild pitch. Liang would be in the middle of things two innings later as well.

After Sanchez navigated the second and third innings rather easily, Lehman went to work at the plate. With Socrates Peralta on first, Christian Fadul blasted an apparent home run to left field, only to settle for a ground rule double. Liang was next up and he left nothing to chance, clobbering a 2-1 pitch from Carrasco over the left field fence for the 4-0 lead.

In the fifth the Lightning tacked on some insurance on a run-scoring double by Stephen Valdes and a two-run double by Onix Mejia to up its advantage to 7-0.

NJCU touched up Sanchez for a run in the sixth on a Rob Roman RBI single to center. The Gothic Knights then ran themselves out of a potential bigger inning when Alex Weinstein was doubled off second base on Michael Patterson's line drive to Fadul in center.

Sanchez seemed to get stronger in the seventh, striking out both Matthew Wagner and Juan Cruz looking. Up over 100 pitches, the Lehman lefty came back out for the eighth but was unable to keep it going. When Martucci and Bustillo reached to start the inning, Sanchez's day was done.

Gonzalez entered and calmly struck out Andrew Rivera, got Weinstein to fly out to Fadul, and induced Roman to ground out to Frank Almonte at short to preserve Sanchez's final stat line.

The Gothic Knights managed to touch up Gonzalez for a three runs in the ninth before the Lehman freshman coaxed a fly out to left by Rivera to end the ball game.

With the win, Sanchez improved to 2-2.

Including his home run, Liang finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

Lehman is back in action on Saturday for a doubleheader with conference foe John Jay.

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