April 30, 2008
Box Score
EASTON, Pa. - Three different Lafayette players hit home runs in an 8-6 Leopard victory over Temple on Wednesday afternoon at Kamine Stadium. Lafayette overcame a 4-0 first inning deficit to come from behind and win its second straight game.
Daniel Bierce, Matt Hall and freshman Adam McMahon provided the power for the Leopards (22-21). Bierce and Hall hit their home runs in a five-run second inning while McMahon hit his second in as many games in the third. Bierce and Hall each drove in three runs apiece and Bierce finished with a team-high three hits. Senior Jason Morytko pitched 6.2 innings of two-run ball to earn his first win of the season. Classmate Steve Roberts closed the game for the Leopards en route to his fourth save of the season.
Freshman pitcher Joseph Verdon, making his first collegiate start, allowed four first inning runs. He opened the game by giving up three consecutive singles, including a RBI double to Sean Barksdale. He issued back-to-back walks to force in another run as head coach Joe Kinney went to the bullpen and called on Morytko. Morytko recorded one out before giving up a RBI hit to Jamie Abercrombie to give the Owls (20-22) a 4-0 lead after one inning.
A.J. Miller led off the second inning with a single to right field followed by a walk to Jeff Butler. Hall came to bat with two runners on and belted a three-run home run to right field to cut the Owls' lead to one (4-3). With one runner on base, Bierce hit Lafayette's second homer of the inning over the left field fence to give the Leopards a 5-4 edge.
The homers continued as McMahon led off the third with a solo shot to make it a 6-4 Lafayette lead. Senior Tom Hayes had a hit fall into left field to score Miller, who had doubled, and pushed the Leopards' lead to three (7-4).
Morytko continued to keep the Owls off the board, including working out of a two-on, two-out situation in the top of the fourth. In the seventh, Temple loaded the bases with one out and scored two unearned runs off Morytko to make it a 7-6 ballgame. Tyler Chromey entered the game with two outs and retired the final batter to end the inning.
Lafayette added an insurance run in the eighth inning with a RBI triple by Bierce that scored freshman Rob Froio. Roberts, who had entered the game in the eighth inning, made sure the two-run lead held up. The senior struck out two of the final three batters in the ninth to secure Lafayette's 8-6 victory.
The Leopards will play a home-and-away weekend series with Stony Brook on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, Lafayette will travel to the Seawolves for a 1 p.m. doubleheader and then host Stony Brook on Sunday in another 1 p.m. twinbill. Sunday's games are the final home contests of the season for the Leopards, and the team's eight seniors will be honored prior to the start of the first game.
