March 28, 2012
Box Score
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - A three-run eighth inning gave the Lafayette baseball team a late lead on Wednesday afternoon at Seton Hall, but the host Pirates tied the score in the bottom of the frame then eked out a run in the 12th inning to claim a 4-3 decision.
With the extra-inning loss, the Leopards fall to 6-15-1. Seton Hall evens its record at 12-12.
Brad Hopek, James McCool and Andrew Ruck had Lafayette's RBI in the three-run eighth. Hopek and Ruck each had two hits on the afternoon, and Bobby Fargnoli, Tim Lazor, Matt Lerner, Kevin McCarville and Andrew Santomauro pounded one apiece.
Ben Meer took the loss on the mound for Lafayette. Meer (0-1) pitched a scoreless 11th inning before ceding the winning run in the 12th frame. In total, the sophomore right-hander allowed a run on three hits and one walk. Meer struck out two batters.
Toby Schwartz started on the bump, allowing three hits while striking out a pair in four scoreless frames. Sean McGrath and Chris Boyce each turned in shutout performances out of the bullpen.
Henry Warner (2-0) got the win for Seton Hall with 2.2 scoreless innings of work out of the Pirates' pen. Greg Terhune got the start for the home team, firing six shutout frames.
Schwartz and Terhune were both strong out of the gates, as the first four-and-a-half innings went by in just 54 scoreless minutes before back-to-back doubles to lead off the bottom of the fifth put Seton Hall on top. An RBI groundout added another run for the Pirates, who carried their 2-0 advantage into the top of the eighth stanza.
McCarville, who also gunned down two would-be base stealers from behind the dish, worked a one-out walk to start up the Lafayette offense. Santomauro followed with a base-hit, and Hopek got the Leopards on the board with a double to left centerfield. A well-placed bunt by McCool drove in Santomauro to tie the score, and Ruck followed with an infield hit that scored Hopek and gave Lafayette a 3-2 lead.
The advantage was short-lived, however, as Seton Hall pulled even in the bottom of the frame with a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly. The deadlock remained into the 12th inning, when a one-out base hit by Michael Betz drove home the winning run to give the Pirates a walk-off, 4-3 victory.
Seton Hall turned two double plays - both on hard-hit line drives in the infield - and the Leopards left eight runners on base to the Pirates' 11 men stranded.
Lafayette begins Patriot League play this weekend at historic rival Lehigh. The four-game set starts with a Saturday doubleheader at noon that will feature a GoLeopards.com Live Chat.
