May 3, 2009
Box Score
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Solid pitching helped give the Leopards a series finale victory over Le Moyne on Sunday afternoon in the form of a 3-2 decision. Starter Jeremy Atkins pitched six innings of three-hit, one-run ball and Rob Froio's seventh inning RBI proved to be the game winner.
The Leopards (22-25) won a much-needed game after being no-hit by the Dolphins on Saturday. Atkins and relievers Ryan Hanna and Ian Dickson held the Dolphins to just two runs, the fewest scored against Lafayette in 11 games. Hanna gave up only one run in his 2.2 innings of work and Dickson recorded the final out to pick up his second save of the season while giving Atkins his third victory of the spring.
Lafayette used eight hits to score its three runs, including a home run off the bat of Jeff Butler. Froio went 2-for-4 with a run scored and one RBI.
A sloppy first inning by the Dolphins helped give the Leopards an early 1-0 lead. Froio opened with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. A Le Moyne error, the first of the team's three miscues in the game, allowed Froio to score the game's first run.
Unfortunately, Le Moyne (20-21) responded in similar fashion in its half of the first inning. Brett Botsford led off with a single, stole second and took third on an error by catcher A.J. Miller. He then scored on Chris Edmondson's single to knot the game at one.
Atkins settled down after the first inning. No more than one Le Moyne base runner reached base from the second to sixth innings, when Hanna entered the game.
Meanwhile, Butler's solo shot in the fourth broke the deadlock and gave his squad a slim, 2-1 edge.
In the top of the seventh, Miller reached on a fielder's choice and stole second. He advanced to third on Alex Bechta's groundout and scored on Froio's RBI single to left center to make it 3-1 in favor of the Leopards.
That run would prove to be the game winner as Hanna gave up a run in ninth on Don Schaaf's RBI double down the left field line. Head coach Joe Kinney then called on Dickson, who got Chris Murphy to line out to second base to end the game.
The Leopards return home on Wednesday to host Rider at 3:30 p.m. in their final home contest of the season.
The Patriot League Tournament begins next Saturday when the No. 4 seed Leopards travel to No. 1 Bucknell for a best-of-three series in Lewisburg.
