April 8, 2001
Box Score
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette used a strong pitching performance from sophomore Joe Saporetti (Woodbury Heights, N.J./Gateway Regional) and the hot bat of freshman Craig Alexander (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) to notch a 6-1 victory in the second game of a doubleheader on Sunday vs. Lehigh. The Leopards' victory was their first Patriot League win in six tries.
Lafayette spotted Lehigh a run in the top of the second on a solo home run by Jesse Novalis. The Mountain Hawks advantage didn't last for long, however, as Lafayette struck back with two runs in the bottom of the third. An RBI-single from junior Tye Gonser (The Dalles, Ore./The Dalles) plated freshman Adam Rosenberg (Ocean Grove, N.J./Neptune) who had reached on a three-base throwing error by Lehigh starter Brian Andalman.
The Leopards scored what would hold up to be the winning run later in the inning. Sophomore Matt Tambellini (Millville, N.J./Sacred Heart) doubled home Gonser to give Lafayette a 2-1 lead.
Alexander led off the fourth inning with a solo home run to right field, his second of the day and third in the last three games. Alexander finished the game 3-for-3, just a triple short of hitting for the cycle.
Lafayette posted three insurance runs in the home half of the fifth. Senior Ian Burley (Nazareth, Pa./Notre Dame) drove home Vince D'Angelis (Montvale, N.J./St. Joseph's Regional) with a single up the middle. Rosenberg's two-out single plated the Leopards' final two runs of the game to give Lafayette a 6-1 lead.
Saporetti continued to roll in Lehigh's final two at-bats. After allowing the lead-off runner to reach in the Lehigh sixth and seventh, Saporetti responded with two groundball double plays to quell any Mountain Hawks' thoughts of a comeback.
Saporetti earned the complete game win, his first victory of the season. He struck out four, walked two and scattered four hits over seven innings. Andalman was saddled with the loss, after his nine-hit, three-walk effort. Andalman threw four and two third innings and allowed all six Lafayette runs, but just two of those runs were earned.
In the first game of the twinbill at Metzgar Fields, Lehigh used a six-run third inning to go on to a 10-2 victory.
Lehigh struck for two runs in the second inning. Anthony Piccola's two-run single up the middle brought home Jeff Pietrak and Chad Thoman.
Lehigh scored six more runs in its next at-bat to take control of the momentum. It opened up the third with four straight hits. Novalis' double plated Pat Hollander who had reached on a lead-off single. The next batter, Jeff Quiros, scored Novalis with a single. A two-run home run by Rob Moran gave Lehigh a 6-0 lead. Lehigh tacked two more runs onto its advantage with a two-run single from Jeremy Mack.
The six-run inning was the last for Lafayette starter Kevin Swords (Staten Island, N.Y./Curtis) who gave up eight runs on nine hits, two walks and a strikeout.
Lafayette got one run back in the home half of the third. Gonser led off the inning with a double and advanced to third on a single from freshman Jason Boyd (Littlestown, Pa./Littlestown). Gonser came plateward on a wild pitch from Lehigh starter David Cerminaro to put the score at 8-1.
Lehigh scored two runs in the visitor fourth, both coming on bases-loaded walks by Lafayette relievers Frank Biele (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull) and Paul Fischetti (Brightwater, N.Y./Bay Shore).
Lafayette scored its second and last run of the contest in the bottom of the fourth on Alexander's solo home run to left center.
Cerminaro received the complete-game win for Lehigh, allowing two runs on six hits, two walks and three strikeouts.
Lafayette (6-17, 1-5) and Lehigh (8-14, 2-4) return to action at 1 p.m. on Monday at Metzgar Fields. The doubleheader contests are make-up games for those rained out on Saturday.
