May 7, 2011
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
EASTON, Pa. - Senior A.J. Miller's sixth-inning home run tied the single-season and career marks at Lafayette and capped a 9-3 win for the baseball team in game one against visiting Le Moyne. The Dolphins claimed game two from the Leopards, 8-2, to round out a Saturday split at Kamine Stadium.
The Leopards now stand at 18-27 on the season, while Le Moyne moves to 20-28.
Miller's roundtripper - his 12th of the season and 22nd in his career - tied both program records held by Bob Osipower '00. The senior catcher went 3-for-7 and drove in four runs in the twinbill.
While Miller was tying records, senior Rob Froio was busy extending a record of his own. The Leopards' all-time hits leader went 6-for-9 on the afternoon, increasing his total to 227 career hits. Froio also moved into a tie for fifth place on the all-time total bases list with 292, matching George Yolich '87.
Junior Bobby Fargnoli also had three hits - with a three-run home run highlighting his four RBI game in the Lafayette win. Seniors Alex Bechta and Matt Fenster and freshman Andrew Santomauro had two hits apiece, while Bechta also added an RBI.
Senior right-hander Zach Fritz took the mound in game one and earned a complete-game victory. In seven innings on the hill, Fritz (3-4) scattered 10 hits and three earned runs. He struck out six batters and walked just one.
The Leopards started the scoring game one, as junior Brian Davila led off the third inning with a base hit. After taking second on a Santomauro groundout, Froio laced a single past the diving third baseman to bring the shortstop home with the afternoon's first run.
With Fritz continuing to post zeroes, Lafayette struck again in the bottom of the fourth frame. Miller ripped a ball at Le Moyne starter Mark Kuzma and reached on a throwing error to start the action. Fenster then singled and, two batters later, Fargnoli pulled a ball over the left field wall for his second home run of the season. Santomauro kept the inning alive with a two-out single and promptly stole second. This set the table for Froio, who came through once again with an RBI base-knock to give Lafayette a 5-0 lead.
Le Moyne got to Fritz for a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, but the Leopards quickly took one of those tallies back in the bottom of the stanza. Three straight two-out singles by Fenster, sophomore Kevin Casey and Fargnoli accounted for the offense; Fargnoli's hit gave him four RBI in the contest.
After the Dolphins posted another run in the sixth inning to cut the lead to 6-3, Lafayette added a trio of insurance runs. Santomauro and Froio started the frame with back-to-back singles, and sophomore Scott Kelleher dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners 90 feet. The second out was also productive, as Bechta smacked a sacrifice fly to left field to score Santomauro. The next batter was Miller, whose record-tying home run ran the score to its eventual final of 9-3.
Kuzma (3-6) went the first 3.2 innings for Le Moyne, allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits. He struck out four batters and did not issue a walk.
The visitors started the scoring in the nightcap with a two-run first inning, but the Leopards would rely on their big bat to break even. A Miller double in the first inning scored Bechta, who had hit a two-out single, and a third inning base-hit by the Lafayette catcher plated Kelleher to knot the score at 2-2.
Le Moyne would keep the Leopards off the scoreboard the rest of the way, and the Dolphins ran off a six-run fifth inning to salvage a sweep with an 8-2 victory.
Junior right-hander John Gentile (2-7) started and took the loss, allowing six earned runs on 10 hits in 4.2 innings. Junior southpaw Sean McGrath allowed just one earned run on three hits in 2.1 frames of relief, and Derek Gussaroff and Joe Leo each posted a zero to close out the work on the hill.
Derek Zielinski earned the win for Le Moyne. Zielinski (3-4) allowed six hits and two earned runs over the first six innings. He struck out nine batters and issued three walked. Erik Lambe tossed the final three innings to notch his second save of 2011.
The Leopards and Dolphins will play the rubber match of their three-game set tomorrow on Senior Day at Kamine Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. following a ceremony to honor the Lafayette Class of 2011. The Patriot League Tournament begins on May 14 as the No. 3 Leopards travel to No. 2 Army for a best-of-three semifinal.
