Bucknell wins close matches to beat Sacred Heart, 33-6

Bucknell won the final six matches of the match to hand Sacred Heart their 15th straight loss, 33-6 on Friday night at the Pitt Center in Fairfield. (Photo courtesy Sacred Heart University)

Bucknell won eight of ten matches, including four victories with bonus points, as the Bison earned their first win of the season with a 33-6 win over Sacred Heart in Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) action Friday night at the Pitt Center.

The Pioneers (0-6, 0-2 EIWA) wrestled tough but Bucknell (1-1, 1-0 EIWA) came away with victories in nearly all of the close matches.

Sacred Heart, which has dropped 15 dual meets in a row, got victories from Wethersfield’s Matt Laurie at 149 pounds and Mike Manta at 125 pounds.

Manta prevailed thanks to earning a point for riding time and a stalling call against Bucknell’s Grayson McLellan in the third period.

A flurry in the final 30 seconds won the match for Laurie, who got a takedown at the buzzer to beat Kolby DePron, 6-5.

The match was tied at 6-6 after four bouts but the Bison went on run with six straight wins and 27 unanswered points. Nick Delp (157) won with a pin and Chase Barlow (165) got a three-point win as Bucknell opened up a nine-point lead, 15-6.

Sam Barnes (174) outlasted Ryan Bollentino, 7-3 to extend the lead to 18-6 with three matches remaining. Bucknell’s Logan Deacetis (197) earned a 11-3 major decision to clinch the win for the visitors, who have won all 10 matches with the Pioneers dating back to 2001.

Sacred Heart looks for their first win on Wednesday when they host American University at 1 p.m. at the Pitt Center in another EIWA match. Sacred Heart’s last victory was a one-point win, 17-16, over American in the season opener last season.

Bucknell 33, Sacred Heart 6
At Fairfield
125: Mike Manta (SH) dec. Grayson McLellan, 3-1
133: Kurt Phipps (B) dec. Andrew Fallon, 5-2
141: Darren Miller (B) dec. Seth Brown, 2-0
149: Matt Laurie (SH) dec. Kolby DePron, 6-5
157: Nick Delp (B) pin Jon Siemsen, 2:41
165: Chase Barlow (B) dec. Aiden Zarrella, 5-2
174: Sam Barnes (B) dec. Ryan Bollentino, 7-3
184: Logan Deacetis (B) dec. Hunter Perez, 11-3
197: Nolan Springer (B) pin Nick Copley, 1:41
285: Logan Shepard (B) tech fall Matt Walker, 24-6
Records: Sacred Heart 0-6, 0-2 EIWA; Bucknell 1-1, 1-0 EIWA