WEST POINT, N.Y. (Interstat) — The Bucknell Bison salvaged the final game of their Patriot League series in emphatic fashion Sunday, shutting out the Army Black Knights 8-0 behind a dominant pitching performance and a pair of early home runs at Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field.

The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Bison, who had been outscored 21-5 by Army in the series’ first two contests on Friday and Saturday. It improved Bucknell’s overall record to 21-18, while Army fell to 22-16.

The most important part of the game was the immediate and sustained command established by Bucknell’s pitching staff, which held a potent Army lineup to just one hit. Starter Tyler Seidman set the tone, working six innings of one-hit ball. He walked three and hit a batter but consistently worked out of minimal trouble, aided by a key outfield assist in the first inning. Reliever Hadley Maxwell preserved the shutout over the final three innings, allowing no hits and striking out one.

Bucknell’s offense provided all the support needed in the second inning. After Garrett Mathias walked, Michael Chiaravallo launched a two-run homer to left-center field off Army starter Michael Delph. The Bison doubled their lead an inning later when Billy Fluharty singled and Michael Trommer followed with another two-run shot to right-center, making it 4-0.

The early power display chased Delph and gave Bucknell a cushion Army could not threaten. The Black Knights managed only a first-inning single by Carter Hewitt, and their best scoring chance died in that same frame when Hewitt was thrown out at the plate by right fielder Chiaravallo trying to score from third.

Bucknell added single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. In the sixth, Chiaravallo doubled, advanced to third on a single by Lleyton Coupe and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Zach Selfon. In the seventh, Trommer walked, advanced on a wild pitch and came home on an RBI single by Mathias.

The Bison capped the scoring with two unearned runs in the eighth. A pitcher error and a well-executed sacrifice bunt set the table for run-scoring plays from Deacon Bowne and Fluharty.

Army used four pitchers, with Delph taking the loss after surrendering four runs on three hits in three innings. Mark Abell, Jakob Vanderhave and Walker Calvo followed in relief. The Black Knights’ offense, which had averaged seven runs per game in the series’ first two meetings, was stifled completely, managing just three baserunners after the fourth inning.

The result defied the pregame projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 7-5 Army victory and whose ELO system gave the Black Knights a 65.7% probability to win.

Bucknell looks to carry the momentum into a midweek non-conference game at Penn State on Tuesday. Army will host Marist on Tuesday before resuming Patriot League play next weekend against Lafayette.