May 1, 2010

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

EASTON, Pa. - The Leopards combined for 17 runs and 28 hits en route to a critical sweep of Navy in Saturday's doubleheader. Those wins, combined with Army's two over Bucknell, keeps the Leopards alive in the postseason picture.

The day started in dramatic fashion as Justin Shepherd came through with the ultimate clutch hit in the bottom of the seventh--a game-winning, two-run shot to left field that snapped a 5-5 tie and handed Lafayette (11-28, 6-12) the win.

The Leopards went on to win game two 10-8 thanks to a 19-hit effort, including four that went for extra bases.

Shepherd went 5-for-9 on the day with two home runs, five RBI and three runs scored. Matt Hall added three hits, one of which was a home run in game two.

Game one starter Zach Fritz lasted all seven innings in game one. He gave up five runs, four of which were earned, and struck out four batters while walking only two.

Fritz surrendered a run in the first but worked out of a jam to keep it only 1-0. He gave up a leadoff double to Mike Guadagnini, who advanced to third on a balk. An Alex Azor sac fly led to the first run but the junior righty got Mike Hoosier to ground out for the final run.

The Leopards capitalized on several Navy miscues in the first that led to a two-out rally. Matt Fenster reached on a Matthew Curley two-base throwing error. He took third on a wild pitch and Nelson followed with a walk to Scott Kelleher. Both base runners came home to score on A.J. Miller's double to deep right center.

Both the pitchers and fielders settled down after that and it remained 2-1 until the fourth inning when Jeff Bland sent a two-out, two-run bomb to dead center that made it 3-2.

Miller kept the power surge going, though, by knocking a one-out triple off the right centerfield wall in the bottom of the fourth and came around to score on A.J. Pisarri's bloop single to left field.

Unfortunately, errors cost Lafayette two runs in the fifth. Guadagnini led off with a single and Shepherd threw away the ball on a Curley bunt single. Both runners came home on Azor's hit to left field for a 5-3 score.

Miller drew a leadoff walk to open the sixth and Pisarri sacrificed him to second with a bunt. He took third on a throwing error by Navy catcher Bland and with two outs, Hall knocked a RBI single to center, tying the game at five.

Rob Froio led off the seventh with a walk and advanced to third and was able to trot home when Shepherd sent a pitch over the left field fence for his first home run of the season and gave the Leopards a dramatic, 7-5 victory.

Riding the momentum of the walk-off win, Lafayette jumped out to a 2-0 first-inning lead, the first run scoring on Miller's RBI single up the middle. A Midshipman fielding error in left field allowed the second run to score and starter Corey Shea went back to work in the second with a two-run cushion.

Shea immediately gave back both of those runs when Jonathan Wright and Steve Soares hit back-to-back leadoff home runs that quickly tied the game at two. Navy went up 3-2 in the same inning on an infield single by Curley that scored Josh Moore.

The power surge continued, this time in Lafayette's favor though, as Hall led off the second with a blast to dead center, tying the game at three. Brian Davila followed with a double to left center and Shepherd sent him home with Lafayette's fourth hit of the inning for the 4-3 lead.

Davila came through again in the third with a RBI down the left field line that scored Bobby Fargnoli and Shepherd continued his hot hitting with his second home run of the day, and the season, when his two-run blast made it 8-3.

Miller's fifth-inning sac fly upped the team's lead to 9-3.

It was smooth sailing until the sixth when Navy loaded the bases with no one out. Reliever Jack Rems came in for Shea with two runners one. He gave up a double to load the bases and walked in the first run of the inning, making it 9-5. A sac fly cut it to 9-6 and a throwing error by Rems allowed the Midshipmen to score their seventh run and Leopards' lead was reduced to two (9-7).

Rems he rebounded by getting Speciale to strike out swinging and end the inning.

Fargnoli opened the sixth with a line-drive double to left field and eventually came around to score on Davila's single to left field and Lafayette took the 10-7 advantage into the seventh.

The Mids added a run off Rems in the seventh for the 10-8 score and Joe Kinney called on Ian Dickson to enter the game with two outs in the inning. Dickson responded by getting Nick Driscoll to line out to second on the first pitch.

Dickson took the mound for the ninth in a save situation. A critical 6-4-3 double play erased a leadoff hit and Dickson got Wright to strike out swinging, putting the capper on the 10-8 win that keeps Lafayette alive in the postseason picture.

The Leopards and Midshipmen wrap-up the final Patriot League series of the regular season tomorrow with another doubleheader beginning at noon.

Postgame Notes:
- Lafayette gets in to the Patriot League Tournament with one win over Navy on Sunday and a Bucknell sweep, while the Mids would have to sweep the Leopards.
- The Leopards' 19 hits in game two were a single-game high.
- Shepherd's home runs were the fourth and fifth of his career while Hall now has 23 career homers.