May 8, 2011
Box Score
EASTON, Pa. - Six strong innings from junior right-hander Ethan Perro and three shutout frames by the bullpen were not enough for the Lafayette baseball team on Sunday afternoon at Kamine Stadium. Visiting Le Moyne turned in an equally impressive effort on the hill and escaped College Hill with a 2-1 victory.
With the loss, the Leopards close the regular season at 18-28. The Dolphins improve to 21-28 after winning the rubber match of the three-game set.
Perro (3-3) allowed just four hits and two earned runs in the hard-luck loss. He struck out four batters and walked two. Chris Boyce, Jack Rems and Jeff Snell got the final nine outs in scoreless fashion to keep the Leopards within striking distance.
Offensively, senior Alex Bechta had two of Lafayette's six hits. Senior Rob Froio and sophomores Kevin Casey, Brad Hopek and Scott Kelleher all had hits in the contest, while senior A.J. Miller recorded Lafayette's lone RBI in a ninth-inning rally that fell just short.
Southpaw Mike Anarumo earned the victory for Le Moyne, tossing 6.2 innings of shutout ball. Anarumo (4-1) allowed three hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Right-hander Ed Kohout got the final out of the seventh inning - pitching out of a bases-loaded jam - then escaped a Lafayette comeback to notch his fifth save of the season.
Both of Le Moyne's tallies came in the fifth inning. Pat Weise, who was 3-for-5 on the afternoon, drove a two-run double to the gap in right centerfield to break the scoreless deadlock.
The 2-0 advantage held all the way to the ninth inning. Kelleher started frame with a double, then took third base as Bechta singled through the left side. The next batter was Miller, who put a charge into a ball to centerfield. The line drive was corralled by the Dolphins, though Kelleher was able to tag up and score easily to cut the margin to 2-1. With two outs in the inning, Bechta stole second base and Hopek legged out an infield single to keep the inning alive and move the tying run to third base. However, Kohout bounced back to record the game-saving strikeout and close the door on a 2-1 victory for Le Moyne.
Lafayette returns to play next weekend at West Point for the 2011 Patriot League Tournament. The best-of-three semifinal between the No. 3-seeded Leopards and No. 2 Army begins with a noon doubleheader on May 14 at Doubleday Field. The third "if necessary" game is scheduled for 1 p.m. on May 15.
