April 10, 2000

WORCESTER, Mass. - Lafayette and Holy Cross went 12 straight with neither team scoring a run, until the Leopards broke through in the top of the 13th with two runs and defeated the Crusaders in a classic affair, 2-0.

Freshman pitcher Kathy Vassos (Wilmington, Del.) picked up her first win and first shutout of her career, going the distance against the Crusaders. Vassos' only scare came in the first inning, as Holy Cross' Alysa Hayden reached after she was hit by a Vassos pitch, and reached second on Liz Curll's single, both with two out. The threat ended when Vassos induced a Julie Sees grounder to third base, which Jana DeFillips (Cedar Knolls, N.J./Whippany Park) scooped up and stepped on third for the last out.

Lafayette's most serious chance at scoring runs came in the sixth inning, when Becky Chmielowski (Mountaintop, Pa./Crestwood) doubled before Liz Lucisano (Levittown, Pa./Villa Joseph Marie) and Vanessa Dawson (Victor, N.Y./Victor) both walked, loading up the bases with two down. DeFillips came up with a chance to be the hero of the moment, but deferred to a later time when she struck out swinging.

Neither team seriously threatened again until Lafayette's half of the 13th. Sophomore Liz Siliato (San Francisco, Calif./Andover Academy) began the inning by reaching on an error by the third-baseman, and Lucisano followed that up by reaching on an error of her own, this one by the Crusaders' pitcher. Siliato advanced to third on the error, and then Lucisano stole second, setting the table for pinch-hitter Heather Morgan (Pen Argyl, Pa./Pen Argyl). Morgan lofted a long fly ball to centerfield for a sacrifice fly, scoring Siliato. Then DeFillips atoned for her earlier mishap at the plate by slapping a ground ball to the right side, driving in Lucisano for an insurance run.

The two runs were all the Leopards needed to get their second Patriot League win of the season, as Vassos recovered from consecutive singles in the bottom of the 13th to put away the Crusaders for good. In all, Vassos went 13 full innings, facing 47 batters and allowing seven hits and two base-on-balls. She struck out two and upper her personal record to 1-2 on the year.

Lafayette pushes its record to 4-14 on the season, and 2-4 in league play. The Leopards return to action this Saturday, as they host arch-rival Lehigh University in a Patriot League doubleheader. The opening game of the double-dip is set to begin at 1 p.m.