Feb. 26, 2012
Box Score
LEXINGTON, Va. - Bobby Fargnoli drove in two runs and the bullpen worked five innings of one-hit ball to lead the Lafayette baseball team to a 5-4 win in Sunday's series finale at the Virginia Military Institute. Kevin Casey added two hits for the Leopards.
With the win, Lafayette takes the season-opening series and improves to 2-1. The Keydets fall to 1-5.
Derek Gussaroff (1-0) entered a tie ball game in the fifth inning and fired three scoreless frames to earn his first career win. Jeff Snell pitched a pair of hitless stanzas to earn his first save of the spring.
Fargnoli had two doubles in a 3-for-4 the day, including the two-run two-bagger that started the scoring. Casey went 2-for-5, his third multiple-hit game of the three-game series. Scott Kelleher added a run-scoring single, and Brad Hopek added an RBI double. Andrew Ruck posted an RBI as well as a single and a stolen base. Brian Davila also swiped a bag.
Connor Ortolf started on the mound for the Leopards. He allowed seven hits and three earned runs in four innings of work. The southpaw struck out three batters and walked one.
John Garrett (0-1) was effective in relief for VMI, surrendering just three hits while striking out five and walking one without allowing an earned run. However, he takes the hard-luck loss due to an unearned run crossing the plate while he was on the bump. The Keydets did not allow an earned run on the day, as starter Jeremy Brown allowed five hits but ceded four unearned tallies over the first three innings. VMI shortstop Drew Bryan committed all three Keydets' errors.
Leadoff hitter Jordan Tarsovich led VMI with two hits, two runs scored and an RBI. George Piccirilli drove in two runs for the Keydets and Jacob Morley knocked in one.
VMI struck first with single runs in the first and second innings. Morley singled in a run to start the offense, and Tarsovich's RBI groundout pushed an unearned tally home to give the Keydets a 2-0 lead.
Lafayette responded with four runs in the top of the third inning. After two strikes out to begin the inning, a fielding error allowed Davila to reach and extended the frame. Casey followed with an infield hit, and Fargnoli drilled a double down the left field line to plate both baserunners and knot the score at 2-2. Hopek kept the rally going with a double down the other foul line that scored Fargnoli, and Kelleher capped the inning with an RBI single that put the Leopards on top, 4-2.
A one-out error proved costly for the Leopards in the bottom of the fourth stanza. Tarsovich reached on the misplay by Ruck in right field and, after Ortolf struck out Stallings for the second out, Morley worked a five-pitch walk. Piccirilli then tied the score once again with a double down the left field line that allowed both unearned runs to score.
After Gussaroff tossed a scoreless fifth, Lafayette regained the lead in the sixth inning. Ruck singled with one out and stole second then took third on a wild pitch while Hills worked a walk. With runners on the corners, another fielding error by Bryan allowed Ruck to score as the go-ahead run to give the Leopards a 5-4 advantage.
Gussaroff would post two more zeroes, and then Snell matched that effort to close the door on a 5-4 win.
The Leopards return to the northeast for a Tuesday afternoon game at La Salle before venturing back to the Old Dominion State for a weekend series at James Madison. The annual outing at Diamond Nation in Flemington, N.J. against Rider will be held on March 6, and Kamine Stadium opens for the 2012 season on March 9 against Fairleigh Dickinson.
