Box Score
Feb. 21, 2016
WILMINGTON, N.C. -- Lafayette pounded out eight hits but left six runners on base in a 2-1 loss to Rhode Island on Sunday in the final round of the Lafayette Ford Lincoln of Fayetteville Showcase.
The teams traded runs in the early going. The Rams scored on a sac fly in the bottom of the first after a one-out triple by Paige Julich.
The Leopards (2-3) evened the game in the second. Allison Brown led off with a double and Brooke Wensel's single put runners on the corners with one out. With two outs in the inning, Morgan Biddle laid down a bunt that scored Brown, knotting it at 1-1.
Rhode Island took the lead for good in the third inning. A lead-off walk and a passed ball set the stage for Kylie Shivery who singled in the go-ahead run.
Facing Rhode Island (1-4) starter Becca Rogers, Lafayette's offense managed just one baserunner combined in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Lafayette threatened in the seventh. Brooke Wensel led off with a single through the left side.
Rebecca Dvorak came in as a pinch hitter and Rhode Island brought on Caitlin Kennedy to replace Rogers. Dvorak hit into a 6-4-3 double play. Biddle kept things going with a single, but the game ended when Kennedy enticed Didio into a 4-3 groundout.
Kennedy earned her first save of the season while Rogers (1-2) gathered the win, allowing one run on seven hits over six innings. Stephanie Thomas (1-2) surrendered two runs (one earned) on three hits with two walks and a pair of strikeouts.
"This was a very good opening weekend for us! We are proud of what the team did together," said Lafayette third-year hoach coach Jexx Varner. "All the things we've been working so hard on in practice were executed in these five games. There is still so much growth this group will have but we are already showing our depth and how polished we are as a team."
"We out hit are opponents this weekend in terms of batting average, extra-base hits and strikeouts. We out pitched our opponents (ERA and opponents' batting average) and we fielded the ball at a .965 percentage," Varner explained. "We were just a couple adjustments and RBI executions away from leaving North Carolina with a winning record. It was a great feeling and a lot of fun in the dugout this weekend. The entire team played major roles in keeping us focused and positive."
Lafayette returns to action on Feb. 27-28, playing four games in the UMBC First Pitch Classic where it will face UMBC and Maryland-Eastern Shore.
