March 29, 2011
Box Score
PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. - The Lafayette baseball team traded zeroes with Villanova for most of Wednesday's Liberty Bell Classic opening round game, but the Wildcats posted a four-run fifth inning and escaped a ninth-inning rally by the Leopards to claim a 5-3 victory.
With the loss, the Leopards fall to 5-14 on the season. Villanova improves to 11-13 and advances in the 2011 Liberty Bell Classic.
Senior Alex Bechta had two of Lafayette's seven hits, while senior catcher A.J. Miller and freshman left fielder Andrew Santomauro each had a hit and drove in a run. For Miller, who is the current Patriot League leader in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage, the RBI was his team-best 21st on the season and his double was the lone extra-base hit for Lafayette on the day. Rob Froio, Bobby Fargnoli and Kevin Casey all hit singles in the contest.
Junior left-hander Michael Massa (0-2) took the loss for the Leopards. He allowed five earned runs on nine hits over the first 4.2 innings. A pair of junior right-handers - Chris Boyce and Jeff Snell - turned in scoreless outings out of the bullpen to facilitate the Lafayette rally.
The Wildcats got on the board first in the bottom of the third inning. After Massa retired the first batter of the frame, back-to-back singles followed to put runners on the corners. Leadoff hitter David Koczirka followed with a sacrifice fly to centerfield that brought home the game's first run.
The 1-0 advantage for the home team was short-lived, as the Leopards responded in their next at-bat. Bechta started the action with a one-out single - his second of the day - and stole second base to move himself into scoring position. The next batter was Miller, who laced a 1-1 pitch into right field for an RBI double.
Villanova reclaimed the lead in the fifth inning with a four-run spurt. Koczirka, Marlon Calbi, Matt Fleishman and Andrew Greenen all drove in runs as the Wildcats tallied seven singles in the inning before Boyce left the bases loaded to retire the side.
Lafayette made a final push in the top of the ninth inning against Villanova closer Mike Francisco, as Matt Fenster walked, Fargnoli singled and Casey walked to load the bases with one out. After a pitching change, Santomauro drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Froio singled up the middle to reload the bases. An error by Calbi at shortstop allowed Fargnoli to score, but Julian Diaz recovered to close the door on a 5-3 win for the Wildcats.
Kevin McLaughlin (1-3) earned the win for Villanova. He allowed five hits and one earned run over the first seven innings. The sophomore right-hander tallied six strikeouts and issued one walk. The two-out save was the first on the season for Diaz.
The Leopards are back in action tomorrow for a 3:30 p.m. contest at NJIT, which will feature a live chat on GoLeopards.com. Patriot League play begins this weekend with noon doubleheaders at Bucknell on Saturday and Sunday.
