March 13, 2007
Box Score
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (www.lafayette.edu) - Robyn Matchett was 2-for-2, including a two-run triple, and scored three runs to lead Lafayette to a 5-3 victory over Manhattan on Tuesday at the Rebel Spring Games.
Cleveland State improved to 7-1 with an 8-3 win over the Leopards in the day's second game. Lafayette is off on Wednesday, and will close its week-long stay in Florida with a pair of games on Thursday and Friday.
Lafayette fell behind 2-0 after the first inning but scored three runs in the second to take the lead. Sarah Price walked to lead off the frame, and Allison LoBello singled after a sacrifice bunt. Matchett, 5-for-11 at the plate through the first four games, stayed hot with a triple, and later scored on an error.
Matchett scored on another error in the fifth inning after reaching on a walk, and moved up as Jill Masterton singled and Kasey Karr was hit by a pitch. Kristen Ruckno was credited with an RBI after her ground ball was mishandled, but the play wouldn't have ended the inning.
Manhattan cut the lead to 4-3 with a run in the sixth, but the Leopards got the run back in the seventh as Ruckno plated Matchett with a sacrifice fly. That was more than enough for Karr, who won her second straight start, striking out three while allowing five hits in the contest.
In the second game, Cleveland State and Lafayette matched three-run first innings before the Vikings scored a pair in the fourth and fifth (three unearned), and added another run in the sixth for the 8-3 final.
Amanda Houchin had a two-run double to provide the key hit for CSU in the first, but the Leopards responded by loading the bases to start the bottom half of the inning. Ruckno singled to score Matchett, and Christina Giambrone and Aimee Dassner both walked to score runs and tie the game at 3-3.
Amanda Macenko relieved Vikings' starter Tara Meyer and allowed just three hits the rest of the way to improve to 5-1 on the season. Megan Averbuch was saddled with the loss, giving up five earned runs while throwing her second complete game of the season.
