March 2, 2014

2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Lafayette 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 9 5 George Wash. 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 9 0 Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) | Photo Gallery 3

ARLINGTON, Va. - Toby Schwartz pitched seven strong innings and Connor McMahon came on to hold the lead as Lafayette took the rubber match of its three-game series with George Washington on Sunday afternoon at Barcroft Park. The Leopards' 3-2 victory was led offensively by Tyler Hudson's two hits and pair of RBI.

The Leopards opened the scoring in the top of the second inning when Jackson Kramer led off the frame with a walk. After a bunt single by Alex Nickles, a failed sacrifice bunt and a pop up brought Andrew Landolfi to the plate with two on and two away. Landolfi's single to left chased Kramer home from third and Lafayette led 1-0. With Hudson at the plate, a wild pitch moved Landolfi to second, before the Leopards' third baseman turned on Luke Staub's pitch and laced a two-run single to right.

Leading 3-0 going into the home half of the second, Lafayette (2-4) allowed George Washington (2-6) to score an unearned run on one of its five errors in the game. Schwartz gave up a leadoff single to Kevin Mahala and a failed pickoff attempt let him move around to third base with nobody out. An RBI groundout scored Mahala before Schwartz finished the inning with a strikeout and a fly out in foul territory.

Lafayette threatened to score again in the third, but Nickles' two-out single failed to score Kramer from second as he was thrown out at home on a throw by John Brady. The play was the end of Staub's afternoon, as he took the loss after giving up three runs on seven hits in three innings on the hill. Staub also walked two and struck out one Lafayette batter.

Max Kaplow came on in relief of Staub and tossed five innings, yielding one hit, striking out three and walking three others to keep Lafayette off the scoreboard. The score held at 3-1 until the bottom of the eighth inning, despite George Washington loading the bases in the fourth with nobody out and Schwartz getting a double-play to end the fifth.

Schwartz ran into trouble in the eighth when George Washington began the inning with consecutive base hits back up the middle by Ryan Xepoleas and Joey Bartosic. Xepoleas scored on the second single to bring GW within a run at 3-2, before Lafayette called on McMahon. The sophomore right-hander induced three ground balls to limit the damage at one run.

McMahon nailed down his first save when he worked around a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth, and an error, thanks to a pickoff by catcher Parker Hills with two on and no outs. The victory was sealed with a pair of fielder's choices to end the game.

Lafayette returns to action on Saturday, March 8 when the Leopards take on Fairleigh Dickinson in a doubleheader in Teaneck, N.J. at 1 p.m.