March 22, 2005

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA (www.lafayette.edu) - Two infield singles in the bottom of the tenth inning helped edge Penn past Lafayette, 3-2, in non-conference baseball action on Tuesday. The extra-inning loss knocks Lafayette from the 13th Annual Liberty Bell Classic.

With two outs and a runner at third, Jarron Smith legged out an infield single to second base to score the game-winning run. A lead-off walk and sacrifice bunt put pinch runner Alex Nwaka on second to get the tenth inning going. Matt Horn then singled to shortstop, placing Nwaka on third before Smith's single plated him with the game-winner.

Penn led 2-0 after the third inning in a low-scoring game. Kyle Armeny provided the offense for the Quakers with his two-run double down the leftfield line. The Lafayette defense put an end to the rally when senior Rob Fioretti cut down Armeny at home when he was trying to score on a single.

That lead held until the top of the sixth when Lafayette used a two-out rally to tie the game 2-2. The Leopards benefited from two errors by the Penn third baseman that allowed both runs to score on what would have been inning-ending groundouts.

The game remained tied until the 10th when Smith knocked in the game-winning run off Lafayette reliever John Fugett (0-1). Fugett, who has two saves on the season, threw 2.1 innings, allowing one run on four hits and three strikeouts. With a four-game series approaching on the weekend, the Lafayette bullpen was well-tested against Penn as head coach Joe Kinney used five pitchers for an inning or more.

Freshman Kevin Reese started the game for Lafayette and gave up two runs on four hits over three innings. His classmates, Doug Lunau and Jason Morytko, threw the fourth and fifth innings, respectively, and did not allow a run. Sophomore Ted Gjeldum tossed the sixth and seventh frames and allowed just two hits while striking out three. For Penn, Remington Chin was on the mound for the final three innings without surrendering a hit in his first victory of the season.

Offensively for Lafayette, Ian Law, Adam Bucci and Frank Cortazar all had two hits apiece. Lafayette could not get the bats going in the final four innings, however, as the Leopards were retired in order by the Penn bullpen.

Lafayette's game scheduled for Wednesday at the Class of 1978 Stadium has been postponed due to field conditions. The Leopards will return to action on Friday and Saturday, hosting a four game series with Binghamton. The first pitch on Friday is scheduled for 1 p.m.