April 16, 2008
Box Score -- Game 1 | Box Score -- Game 2
DOVER, Del. - Lafayette complied five runs over the first two innings for the 8-3 victory in the second game of a twinbill at Delaware State (18-18). The Leopards committed five fielding errors in the opening 6-3 loss to the Hornets on Wednesday afternoon.
Freshman Stacey Kushner was responsible for the first two Lafayette runs in the second game. Her RBI single followed sophomore Christina Giambrone's double. A sacrifice bunt by sophomore Kasey Karr allowed Kushner to advance to third before scoring on a wild pitch on the following play.
Still in the first inning, the Hornet's Sha Tabor walked two Lafayette batters and sophomore Jessika Smith loaded the bases with two outs. Smith scored a run after Tabor walked her third batter as senior Kristen Ruckno scored for the 3-0 Lafayette lead.
Ruckno hit a two-run single up the middle giving the Leopards a 5-0 lead in the second inning. Allison Rubin scored in the bottom half of the second for Delaware State after reaching first on a wild pitch and then stealing second. Jessica Chrabaszcz doubled into left center to bring Rubin across home for the Hornets run (5-1).
The following three innings past without a run scored for either side before freshman Kerry Griffin scored off of classmate Kristin Garganio's RBI single in the sixth inning. The Hornets responded with two unearned runs in the bottom half of the inning with Lafayette still ahead 6-3. Griffin was a perfect 3-for-3 with one run scored in the first game.
Lafayette (18-16, 8-4) had runners on first and third with two outs after Giambrone hit a triple and Kushner was walked. Karr singled up the middle and made it to second base after a Delaware State error. Karr reached third on the play and Kushner and Giambrone would both score for the 8-3 final.
Giambrone and Kushner combined for six of the eight Lafayette runs scored in the second game. Giambrone was 3-for-4 and Kushner finished 2-for-4 with a RBI.
Karr (9-5) pitched all seven innings of the final game and walked a single Delaware State batter, striking out two and allowed seven hits.
The Hornets managed six hits and six runs off of freshman Ali Henry (6-7) in the first game. Henry got the nod for the 14th time this season before classmate Christine Hilcken came into throw the final inning. Hilcken allowed one hit and struck out one Delaware State batter in four faced.
Before the fourth inning, Delaware State and Lafayette were tied at 2-2 in the first game. The Hornets scored four runs in the fourth to jump out to the 6-2 lead en route to their seventh-straight win. The Leopards put another run on the board in the sixth inning for the 6-3 final.
Lafayette returns to Metzgar Fields for its final regular-season home Patriot League series, hosting Colgate on Saturday and Sunday. The first game is set for noon. The Raiders (7-12, 4-4) completed their series against Army on Wednesday winning three of four games.
