April 8, 2009
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EASTON, Pa. - Trailing for much of the game, the Lafayette baseball team scored all five of its runs over the final four innings en route to a 5-4, come-from-behind-victory over Monmouth. The Leopards, playing at home for the first time this season, won the game in the bottom of the ninth on A.J. Pisarri's bunt single that scored Rob Froio from third base.
Pisarri finished the day 3-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored. Senior Jeff Butler went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs for the Leopards (14-15).
Senior Brian Mostek picked up his second victory of the season after pitching a perfect ninth inning. The Lafayette bullpen did not give up an earned run in its five innings of work. Freshman Ethan Perro started the game for Lafayette and went four innings and gave up two runs on six hits.
Monmouth (14-13) scored solo runs in the first and second innings. The first run came on a Rick Niederhaus single. In the second inning, David Jacob hit a leadoff homer to make it 2-0.
In the fourth inning, Lafayette put runners on the corners with only one out but could not get a run across to keep it a 2-0 ballgame.
The Hawks tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning. Jamie Rosenkranz, the first batter of the inning, reached on catcher's interference. A throwing error led to the first run of the inning and a single off the bat of Ryan Terry sent home the second run of the inning to give Monmouth a 4-0 edge.
Lafayette responded in the bottom half of that inning. The Leopards loaded the bases on three singles and a walk to Brad Weiss forced home the first run. Matt Hall came to bat with the bases still loaded and no one out and lined out to right field to send home the second run and make it 4-2. Unfortunately Lafayette could not get another run across the board, keeping it a two-run game.
Two innings later, however, the Leopards tied the game at four. Pisarri led off with a single, reached second on a passed ball and went to third on Brian Davila's fly out to center field. Butler then knocked a RBI single through the right side to score Pisarri and one batter later, Hall belted a double to right field to score Butler as the tying run.
Mostek entered the game in the ninth and gave up a lead off walk to Nick Pulsonetti. Josh Boyd pinch ran for Pulsonetti and advanced to second on a bunt. Mostek then promptly picked Boyd off at third base and got Paul Bottigliero to fly out to right field to end the inning.
In the ninth, Froio pinch hit and drew a lead off walk. A.J. Miller's sac bunt sent Froio to second. Alex Bechta followed with a ground out to first base that allowed Froio to take third and he scored from third on Pisarri's bunt single to the third base side of the field, giving Lafayette the walk-off victory.
The Leopards continue their 16-game homestand on Saturday and Sunday with doubleheaders against Lehigh. Both days begin at 12 p.m.
