May 3, 2008
Game 1
Game 2
STONY BROOK, N.Y. - The Lafayette baseball team split a doubleheader with Stony Brook on Saturday in Stony Brook, N.Y. The Leopards won the first game 3-0 behind the solid pitching of freshman Zach Fritz, who tossed a complete game three-hitter. Lafayette let an 8-0 lead slip away to suffer a 13-8 loss in the second game.
Fritz's complete game shutout, combined with clutch hitting, gave the Leopards a 3-0 win in the opening game. The freshman pitched seven innings of shutout ball as Stony Brook managed just two hits off the rookie. At the plate, Joe Ezekiel's two-run home run in the second inning and Daniel Bierce's RBI single in the fifth gave Fritz his fourth win of the season.
The Leopards (23-22) jumped out a 2-0 lead in the second inning on Ezekiel's homer. Stony Brook starter Tom Koehler hit Matt Hall to lead off the inning and Ezekiel sent a Koehler pitch to right centerfield to give his team the 2-0 lead.
Lafayette scored another run off Koehler in the fifth. Tom Hayes hit a one-out single to left field and Koehler walked Rob Froio with two outs. Bierce then hit a single to shortstop, scoring Hayes and giving Lafayette the three run lead (3-0). Fritz continued to shutdown Stony Brook's offense to give the Leopards the win.
In the second game, Lafayette pitchers gave back all of Lafayette's 8-0 seventh inning lead as the team suffered a 13-8 loss. Lafayette starter Jeremy Atkins gave up five runs in six innings of work. Brad Woodfield entered the game in the seventh with no outs and the bases loaded and gave up four runs to take the loss. Ezekiel had three hits, including his second homer of the afternoon.
Lafayette took the early lead with one run in the third inning. Ryan Roberts led off with a single and came around to score on Bierce's double to right center. The Leopards added three more runs in the next inning, starting with A.J. Pissari's RBI double to make it 2-1. Roberts singled up the middle to score Pissari and an error allowed the inning's third run to score for a 4-1 Lafayette lead.
Lafayette tacked on another run in fifth on Ezekiel's second home run of the afternoon. In the seventh, the Leopards scored another three runs to take an 8-0 lead. Ezekiel singled with one out and A.J. Miller walked to put two runners on for Justin Shepherd, who homered to left field to make it 8-0 in favor of the Leopards.
Stony Brook's (26-17) offense came alive in the seventh, however, scoring nine runs in the bottom of the inning. Atkins gave up five hits and two runs without recording an out before Woodfield entered the game with three runners on base. Woodfield allowed all three runners to score, which were charged to Atkins, before giving up five more runs while recording only one out and giving Stony Brook the 9-8 lead. Tyler Chromey came in from the bullpen and went on to pitch an inning of scoreless relief to keep it a one run game.
Corey Shea pitched the final two-thirds of an inning and gave up four more runs on four hits and an error to give Stony Brook the final 13-8 win.
The Leopards return home to host the Seawolves in a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. The eight members of the senior class will be honored prior to the start of the first game.
