March 27, 2010
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The weekend started out on a high note for the baseball team as the Leopards swept their Saturday doubleheader against Penn.
The wins marked the first two of the spring for Lafayette (2-11) as pitching and timely hitting added up a Saturday sweep of the Quakers (7-8).
Lafayette pitchers combined to give up only five runs over the two games, including a dominating 2-1 game one victory. The Leopards also came away with a 6-4 victory in the finale.
Junior Zach Fritz pitched all but one third of an inning in the 2-1 decision, scattering five hits over his 6.2 innings of work while striking out seven. Sophomore reliever Jeff Snell recorded the final out to pick up what would be his first of two saves on the afternoon.
Penn went up 1-0 in the third on a William Gordon sac fly to left field but Fritz got Spencer Branigan to fly out and strand two runners to prevent further damage.
Despite managing just two hits off Penn starter Vince Voiro, Lafayette made them count. Senior Matt Hall continued his hot-hitting and erased Penn's 1-0 lead the very next inning. He belted a two-out, two run-homer to right center to send home Kevin Casey and make it a 2-1 ball game.
That proved to be the game-winning shot as Penn finished with just the one run. Fritz gave up only two more hits to the Quakers over the final four innings of play in his most solid pitching performance of the season.
In the second game, Penn again took the early lead. Gordon knocked a two-out RBI double to left field off of starter Corey Shea that made it 1-0.
That remained the score until the top of the third when A.J. Pisarri sent a RBI single through the left side of the infield. Rob Froio, who had reached on an error and stolen second, came around to score the game-tying run.
Lafayette took a 2-1 lead two innings later when rookie Brad Hopek led off the inning with a solo shot to right field. Hopek finished with a 2-for-4 effort in the game with three RBI and a run scored.
The Leopards tacked on two more runs in the sixth. Hall reached base with a single and advanced to third on Brad Weiss's double. A.J. Miller drew a bases-loaded walk and Justin Shepherd followed with another walk that forced home Hall. Hopek's RBI groundout allowed Weiss to score and it stood 4-1 Leopards after six innings of play.
Another costly Penn error in the seventh added another run for the Leopards, making it a 5-1 ballgame.
Hopek tacked on another insurance run in the eighth with his RBI double down the left field line that scored Shepherd, who had reached on a two-out bunt single.
Those runs were needed as Penn put up a three-spot in the eighth inning. Shea hit the first two batters he faced and Joe Kinney went to the bullpen to bring in Snell. Snell got the first out but gave up two RBI singles and a RBI groundout as the Quakers cut the lead to two (6-4).
Snell slammed the door shut in the ninth, though, striking out two of the final three batters he faced to pick up his first save of the season and secure Lafayette's doubleheader sweep.
The Leopards and Quakers continue their series on Sunday with a doubleheader at Lafayette's Kamine Stadium beginning a 12 p.m.
Postgame Notes:
- Matt Hall extended his hit streak to 17 games, dating back to May 6 of last season.
- Hall now leads the Leopards two home runs, six doubles, a .367 batting average and a .612 slugging percentage.
- Hopek's was the only Lafayette player to finish with multiple hits in either game with his 2-for-4 outing in game two. No Penn player had a multi-hit game against the Lafayette pitching staff.
