Lehigh baseball stamped itself into the NCAA record books in multiple ways on Tuesday, headlined by scoring 20 runs in the first inning of its 38-6 win over Coppin State. It’s the most runs scored in a first inning in Division I history.
The Mountain Hawks reached base 20 times and five players hit three times in the frame. The team recorded 11 walks and six hit by pitches.
There was nothing normal about the top of the first — pandemonium wouldn’t be enough to describe it.
The first three batters were either hit by a pitch or walked, setting the table for catcher Ian Wirtz, who doubled down the left field to score two runs. The Eagles pulled starting right-hander Mekenna Wakakuwa after a walk, RBI single and two more hit by pitches later, when the Mountain Hawks led 5-0.
And that was just the first pitching change. Lehigh upped the score to 10-0 by time Coppin State’s third pitcher took the bump, and 16-0 when the fourth was called on — all with one out.
First baseman Owen Walewander broke the previous record (18 runs) set by Princeton in March 1974 by hitting a grand slam to left field, lifting the away team’s lead to 20-0. The homer slammed the door to the historic inning, with fly outs and a groundout ending it.
And the downpour didn't stop there. Lehigh plated two runs in the second and third, seven in the fourth, two in the next two innings and five more in the seventh.
The Mountain Hawks ended the contest with 12 hits — only one more than Coppin State — with 70 plate appearances and 25 walks, facing 10 different pitchers. The 38 runs was the most in a single game in Patriot League history.
Third baseman Aidan Quinn walked seven times in the win — three times in the first — for another NCAA record.
It’s just the fourth time this season Lehigh has scored more than 10 runs in a game, and third time they’ve won-back-to-back contests.
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