April 18, 2011

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

EASTON, Pa. - Senior Rob Froio singled home the winning run in game one and a comeback fell short in the nightcap as the Lafayette baseball team split with Holy Cross, 2-1 and 14-10, for the second straight day.

Lafayette now stands at 13-20 on the season with a 7-5 Patriot league record. The Leopards remaining tied for first place in the league with Army and Navy, both of whom remain on Lafayette's schedule. Holy Cross moves to 17-19-1 overall and 5-7 in league action.

Froio's walk-off single was the first of two RBI he would garner in nine at-bats on the day. Senior catcher A.J. Miller went 4-for-8 with five runs batted in - all of which came in game two. Miller also hit his 11th home run of the season, moving him within one roundtripper of the single-season (12) and career (22) program records, both of which are held by Bob Osipower '00.

Senior right fielder Alex Bechta had two RBI, and senior first baseman Matt Fenster drove himself in with his second home run of the season. Sophomore second baseman Kevin Casey also drove in a run in a 3-for-6 day that also included firing a scoreless inning on the mound.

In game one, Holy Cross got on the board first via an RBI single from Patrick Puentes in the top of the third inning. That single tally was all that junior right-hander John Gentile would surrender, as the Lafayette starter turned in one of his strongest efforts of the season to facilitate the Leopards' comeback.

The Lafayette bats saved Gentile from the hard-luck loss in the bottom of the sixth inning. Froio started the action with a one-out single and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. He then took third on another pitch to the backstop, setting the stage for Bechta with two out. The senior hit a groundball to first base and broke into a foot race with Holy Cross pitcher Nate Koneski. Bechta dove for the bag and just beat the toss as Froio crossed home with the equalizing run.

With the score now tied at 1-1 in the seventh and final inning, a lead-off double by Mike Ahmed chased Gentile from the game. He was relieved by junior Jeff Snell, who worked around a walk to get three tough outs and strand the potential go-ahead run at second base.

Needing just one run to win in regulation, Fenster drew a walk to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning. He was replaced at first base by sophomore Brad Hopek, who moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore third baseman Scott Kelleher. After an intentional walk issued to junior designated hitter Bobby Fargnoli, the Crusaders handed the ball to their closer, right-hander John Colella.

Colella was greeted by Casey, who singled through the right side to load the bases. Two batters later, now with two down in the inning, Froio came to the plate and singled a 2-2 pitch passed the diving shortstop to plate Hopek with the winning run in a 2-1 victory.

Snell (1-0) earned his first win of the season in relief. The Lafayette closer allowed no hits and one walk in one inning of work. Gentile scattered six hits and one earned run over the first six innings. He walked two batters and struck out two.

Koneski took the hard-luck loss for Holy Cross, allowed just four hits and two earned runs in 6.1 frames on the hill. He struck out eight Leopards and issued three walks.

Looking for the sweep, the Leopards got out to a quick 2-0 lead in the nightcap with a two-run home run to deep centerfield by Miller. The dinger came off of the second pitch thrown by Josh Hauser, who came on in relief of Matt Croglio. Croglio was injured running to cover first base after just 0.2 innings of work.

The Lafayette lead was quickly erased, as the Crusaders posted four runs in both the second and third frames to grab an 8-2 lead. An RBI single from Miller put another run on the board in the bottom of the third stanza, but Holy Cross scored in each of the next three innings to take a 12-3 lead.

Fenster led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a home run, and the floodgates were opened. Sophomore designated hitter Andrew Ruck, Casey and Froio each had RBI singles in the inning, and Miller had a two-run base-hit to trim the margin to 12-9.

Holy Cross scratched out a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning, and Bechta beat out a potential inning-ending double play to put another tally on the board for the Leopards. The 14-10 score would prove to be final, as the Crusaders salvaged a split of the series.

Freshman southpaw Connor Ortolf (2-2) started and took the loss for Lafayette. He allowed six earned runs on nine hits in 2.1 frames of work. He issued a walk and hit a batter.

Hauser (2-0) earned the win with four innings of relief. He allowed two earned runs on four hits, striking out a batter and walking two. Despite allowing four earned runs on five hits, Colella earned the save - his sixth of the season - by hurling the last four innings on the hill for the Crusaders.

The Leopards will host a non-league game against Rutgers tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. before welcoming Army to Kamine Stadium for a four-game set.