Feb. 22, 2014

10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Lafayette 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 7 1 VMI 0 1 3 0 4 2 0 0 x 10 10 0 Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) 3

LEXINGTON, Va. - The Lafayette baseball team fell in the middle game of its series with VMI by a 10-3 final on Saturday at Gray-Minor Stadium. Junior Tim Lazor registered two hits and freshman Alex Woinski hit a two-run homer for the Leopards in defeat.

Connor Bach threw five innings and surrendered one run on three hits to earn the win as the Keydets' offense broke the game open with a four-run fifth inning. Ray Lopez led VMI (2-2) with a 3-for-4 day at the plate and four runs batted in.

Both teams went quietly in the first inning as Lafayette starter Alex Farina and VMI's Bach each hurled 1-2-3 innings. Lafayette threatened to score in the top half of the second after Lazor's two-out double, but he was stranded when Bach struck out Austen Maggin following a walk to Brett Thompson.

The Keydets pushed the first run across in the second inning when Brandon Angus was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a failed pickoff attempt and stole third. Farina fanned the next two hitters, but Ray Lopez singled to put VMI up 1-0.

Lafayette (0-2) quickly responded in the top of the third when Nick Murray led off the inning with a triple inside the chalk down the right field line. Murray scored to tie the game on a passed ball, before Bach limited the damage to one run.

With the score knotted at 1-1, VMI put up crooked numbers in the third, fifth and sixth innings to open up a 10-1 advantage. Angus brought home VMI's first two runs in the third with a bases loaded single, prior to Lopez singling to center with two outs and men occupying first and second base. Leading 4-1 through three, VMI maintained its lead despite Lazor's single and Maggin's free pass after Murray struck out looking.

Four runs in the bottom of the fifth frame broke the game open and finished Farina's day as VMI went up 8-1. Farina tossed 4.2 innings and gave up seven runs, six earned, on seven hits in the loss. He struck out three, walked two and hit two batters. Sophomore Ryan Callanan pitched two-thirds of an inning in relief of Farina and was charged with three earned runs before rookie Trevor Houck finished the sixth inning by getting a pair of flyouts. Houck pitched 2.2 innings, didn't allow a hit and struck out two in his first-career appearance.

Woinski added a two-run pinch hit home run following Jackson Kramer's double in the top of the ninth inning. The homer was Woinski's first-career base hit.

Lafayette and VMI wrap up the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. Lafayette will send left-handed pitcher Toby Schwartz to the mound to face off against VMI righty Andrew Woods.