April 5, 2003
Box Score
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - The Lafayette baseball team was working toward a Saturday split while holding a 6-1 lead in the nightcap before its second game with Holy Cross was suspended due to darkness. The Leopards dropped the opener, 7-5, in Saturday Patriot League action.
The two teams will resume play tomorrow at noon, playing the final two and a half innings of game two before completing the series with two more seven-inning games.
In game one, Holy Cross (6-11, 2-3) got to Lafayette starter James Duer for two runs in the first inning. With runners on first and third and two outs, Lafayette catcher Craig Alexander tried to cut down Drew Bigda stealing second, but the attempt was unsuccessful and allowed Joe McCabe to score from third. Bigda scored on the next play on an error.
In the second inning, Lafayette (6-7, 3-1) managed to get its offense moving. Back to back doubles by Adam Rosenberg and Jason Boyd made the score 2-1.
In the Holy Cross second, Tucker Frawley put the Crusaders up 3-1. His double to right hit the foul line and scored Bill Andruskevich who had led off the inning with an infield single.
Lafayette had a runner cut down at the plate in the first and second innings, with the latter time ending a mini two-out rally with two runners on.
Holy Cross sent nine batters to the plate in the third inning and came away with three runs, one earned. Tom Potvin doubled in a run and Dan Powers drove one home with a single. Duer also walked in a run before striking out the final batter of the inning with the bases leaded. Holy Cross led 6-3.
Lafayette sliced two runs off its deficit in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Matt Tambellini led off with a home run to right, his first of the season. Sophomore Rob Fioretti made it 6-5 with his third hit off the game, a double over the centerfielder's head that plated junior Eric Vacca.
Holy Cross took one back in the top of the fifth, when Joe McCabe drove in a run with a two-out single. The inning ended on the same play when McCabe was cut down at second trying to stretch his hit into a double.
Lafayette had a solid chance to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth, placing runners on second and third with no outs following a lead-off single from Jason Boyd and a double by Alexander. Holy Cross reliever Jason Lynch buckled down and retired the next three batters to end the inning. He earned the win, throwing three and a third innings of four-hit baseball.
Duer (1-2) was hit with the loss, allowing seven runs (four earned) over five innings. Hank Fichtner threw two thirds of the sixth inning. Drew Moyer finished off the sixth and pitched a scoreless seventh in relief.
In game two, Lafayette took an early lead after posting a three-spot in the first inning. Fioretti, who had reached on a lead-off walk and moved to second on a wild pitch, scored on a throwing error. With Adam Rosenberg occupying second, Boyd smashed a ball over the leftfield fence to make it 3-0.
The Leopards tacked on three more in the bottom of the second. With the bases loaded and one out, Rosenberg drove a ball deep enough to rightfield to score Vacca. Boyd again did the bulk of the offensive damage in the rally, doubling to bring in two runs and give Lafayette a 6-0 lead. The Leopards' rally chased Holy Cross starter Drew Bigda (4H, 6R, 5ER, 2W, 2K) from the game after completing the second inning.
Holy Cross finally got to Lafayette starter Marcus Ward (5 IP, 2H, 1R, 0 ER, 4K) in the fifth inning. Andruskevich reached on a two-base error by the leftfielder and moved to third on a wild pitch. Powers' fielder's choice scored him to make it 6-1.
The game was suspended at the start of the bottom of the fifth. Prior to the game both coaches had agreed that if the game were to be called because of darkness, it would be played until its completion on Sunday. Action picks back up at noon at Metzgar Field.
