April 13, 2001

Box Score Game 1 | Box Score Game 2

EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - The Lafayette baseball team got six innings out of both starters in a doubleheader with Holy Cross on Friday, but emerged with 4-1 and 8-5 losses in Patriot League action at Metzgar Fields.

Lafayette starter Matt Tambellini (Millville, N.J./Sacred Heart) cruised throught the first five innings in the opener, surrendering just four hits while allowing no runs.

The Leopards gave Tambellini a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Patriot League Player of the Week Craig Alexander's (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) fielder's choice brought home junior Vince D'Angelis (Montvale, N.J./St. Joseph's Regional) who had reached on a fielder's choice.

The Crusaders got to Tambellini for three runs in the top of the sixth. Matt McEvoy brought home the tying run with an RBI-double to left. Dale Johnson plated the go-ahead runs with a two-run double with two outs that gave Holy Cross a 3-1 advantage.

In the Holy Cross seventh, Chris Doneski added an insurance run with a solo homer over the rightfield fence off of Lafayette reliever Kevin Swords (Staten Island, N.Y./Curtis).

Tambellini, who remained in the game as the designated hitter, led off the seventh inning with a walk. The next batter up, Alexander, lined out and Tambellini was doubled off. Holy Cross starting pitcher Mike Montano ended the game by getting Brad Drake (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg) to ground out 1-3.

Montano (4-2) got the complete-game win, holding Lafayette to just three hits while striking out four and walking two. Tambellini (1-3) was saddled with the loss. He allowed seven hits and three runs over six innings of work.

In the nightcap, the Leopards got the bats going, but three Lafayette errors helped Holy Cross to an 8-5 win.

The Leopards put a two-spot on the scoreboard in the first. With Jeff Rodgers (Phoenix, Md./Loyola Blakefield) aboard, D'Angelis smacked a two-run home run to right field.

The Crusaders tied the game in the third inning following a Cory Czajka solo home run and an RBI-double up the middle from McEvoy.

Ian Burley (Nazareth, Pa./Notre Dame) crushed a home run to center to help Lafayette retake the lead, 3-2, in the bottom of the fourth. The round-tripper was Burley's fifth of the season, tying him with D'Angelis and Alexander for the team lead.

The Holy Cross fifth proved to be the fatal inning for Lafayette. The Crusaders posted five unearned runs off of Lafayette starter Joe Saporetti (Woodbury Heights, N.J./Gateway Regional). Bill Andruskevich belted a two-run single and Mike Macholz added a two-run homer to help give Holy Cross a 7-3 lead.

Lafayette got a pair of runs back in the sixth inning. Tambellini scored on a fielder's choice ground ball by Eric Vacca (Philadelphia, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy) that would have plated the run anyway, but Holy Cross failed to get an out. Jason Moll (Montville, N.J./Newark Academy) drove in Jon Kline (Hingham, Mass. Thayer Academy) who had reach on a one-out double. Moll's hit prompted a Holy Cross pitching change. D.J. Lucey replaced Benjamin Dean who had thrown five and a third innings. Deane ended the inning, getting Adam Rosenberg (Ocean Grove, N.J/Neptune) to ground into a 4-6-3 double play.

Holy Cross tacked on a run in the seventh on an RBI-single from Dale Johnson to hold onto the 8-5 win.

Deane got the win for Holy Cross, allowing five runs on six hits and six strikeouts. Saporetti took the loss, surrendering eight runs (3 earned) on eight hits and three strikeouts.

Lafayette (7-21, 2-8) and Holy Cross (12-14, 4-6) will do it all over again on Saturday in another Patriot League doubleheader at noon.