May 1, 2011
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Lafayette baseball team clinched a spot in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament on Sunday with a doubleheader split at Navy. The Leopards, who earned the No. 3 seed, will meet No. 2 Army on May 14-15 at West Point. Lafayette took game one from the Mids, 4-3, and dropped the nightcap by a 4-2 count.
Senior Robert Froio had four hits on the day, claiming the all-record at Lafayette with 219 career hits. Froio, who also ranks among the all-time leaders in double, triples, total bases, stolen bases and game played in Maroon and White, surpasses the mark of 216 hits set by Adam Rosenberg '04.
With the split, the Leopards finish Patriot League play at 10-10 and move to 17-25 overall. Navy, which wins the regular season title at 12-8 in the league, boasts an overall mark of 27-20-1. Navy will host No. 4 seed Bucknell in the other semifinal. Lafayette and Navy also split yesterday's action.
Froio had three RBI in his four hit day, which included a double and a triple. He also stole two bases. Matt Fenster, Brian Davila and Scott Kelleher each had two hits in the twinbill, while Fenster picked up an RBI - the game-winner in the tournament-clinching game.
Junior right-hander John Gentile took the mound in game one and delivered with a victory. Gentile (2-6) allowed just three hits and three runs (two earned) over the first 5.1 innings. He struck out three batters and issued one walk. Junior southpaw Jack Rems then retired the only batter he faced before handing the ball to junior right-hander Jeff Snell. The Leopards' closer got the final four outs to record his sixth save of the season and send Lafayette to the postseason.
As they did in every game of the four-game set with the Midshipmen, the Leopards got on the board first in Sunday's opener. Kelleher roped a one-out triple in the top of the first inning and dashed home on a wild pitch to give the visitors a quick 1-0 lead.
Navy would respond, however, pulling even with a run in the bottom of the first frame and then posting two tallies in the second claim a 3-1 advantage. Those runs who be the last time that the Mids got on the board, as Gentile, Rems and Snell would not allow a run over the final 5.1 innings of action.
The Leopards' bats broke through again in the top of the fifth inning, sparked by an error that put Fenster on second base to lead-off the stanza. After Fenster moved to third base on a groundout, Davila drew a walk to put runners on the corners with one down. Davila appeared to be picked off, but stayed in the rundown long enough to force a throwing error; the miscue also allowed Fenster to race home at cut the deficit to one run. Froio's record-tying hit would be a big one, as the senior centerfielder capped the rally with a two-out triple to right centerfield that knotted the score at 3-3 with just two innings remaining.
As Lafayette pitching continued to move down Navy, the Leopards struck again in the top of the sixth with the eventual winning run. Senior Alex Bechta was hit by a pitch to start the frame and moved to third on a one-out single by sophomore Kevin Casey. The next batter was Fenster, who lined a single just out of the reach of the Mids' shortstop. The infield hit brought Bechta home and put Lafayette on top, 4-3.
Gentile, Rems and Snell each got an out in the bottom of the sixth inning, and Snell came back to toss a perfect seventh as the Leopards rallied into the postseason with a 4-3 win.
Southpaw Sam Long took the loss for the Mids. Long (4-4) surrendered three hits and four runs (two earned) over 5.1 innings on the hill. He struck out two batters and walked three.
Though the Midshipmen salvaged a split with a 4-2 win in game two, the Leopards saw a promising sign in the return of senior left-hander Corey Shea. The southpaw made his first appearance since April 2 and fired 5.2 strong innings in the nightcap.
Shea and Navy starter Wes Olsen traded zeroes for four innings to open game two, before the Leopards broke through in the top of the fifth inning. Davila led off the stanza with a triple and Froio followed with double that plated the Lafayette shortstop to give the Maroon and White a 1-0 lead.
Navy responded, however, with a run in the bottom of the fifth and tacked on two more in the sixth to claim a 3-1 lead. Lafayette got one back in the top of the seventh inning, as Davila again set the table with a lead-off extra-base hit - a double this time - and Froio followed with another RBI base-hit. The Midshipmen would not relinquish the lead again, however, as they closed out a 4-2 victory.
Shea (1-2) allowed six hits and three runs (two earned) in 5.2 innings of work. He did not record and strikeout and issued just one walk in his 71-pitch start.
Olson (5-1) allowed seven hits and two earned runs in his 6.1 innings of action. He picked up three strikeouts and gave up a pair of walks. Preston Gainey tossed 2.2 scoreless innings of relief to earn his second save.
The Leopards return to action on Tuesday, traveling to Staten Island, N.Y. for a 4 p.m. meeting with Wagner. More information on the Patriot League Tournament will be available on GoLeopards.com as it is announced by the league.
