Box Score

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - David Bednar pitched into the eighth inning for the third time in his collegiate career, while Dan Leckie and AJ Kloehn each supplied three hits offensively to lead Lafayette to a 9-4 victory over Radford to begin its Spring Break trip on Saturday afternoon.

The Leopards (3-8) broke open what had been a 4-3 contest with five runs in the top of the ninth. Five different players drove in a run for the Maroon and White, led by two apiece from Leckie and Luke Robinson. Bednar, making his third full start of the season (he also pitched the first inning of a bullpen game on Wednesday), struck out six Highlanders over 7 1/3 innings. He surrendered three runs and eight hits while walking only one to improve his season record to 1-1.

Lafayette wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Steven Cohen delivered a two-out single to right field in the first inning, and after advancing to second on a wild pitch, he crossed the plate on an RBI single from Campbell Lipe.

Bednar allowed just one baserunner in the first three innings, working around a one-out triple in the opening frame. Radford, though, evened up the score in the fourth. Trevor Riggs opened up the inning with a double to left, and Jonathan Gonzalez brought him home two batters later with an infield single to third.

The Leopards took the lead for good on an RBI single from Leckie in the sixth, and they added two key insurance runs in the following inning on a run-scoring double from Spencer Rouse and another base knock up the middle from Leckie.

Those runs proved key in the eighth inning. Bednar was chased from the game after giving up back-to-back doubles, and Kyle Butler pulled the Highlanders (3-16) within one with an RBI hit to right off of Ari Kaufman. The senior left-hander, though, settled down to retire the next two batters and keep Lafayette in front heading into the final frame.

The Maroon and White then erased all doubt in the ninth, with Radford playing a key role in igniting the five-run inning. Kloehn got things started with a single up the middle. After advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch, another wild pitch allowed the sophomore catcher to score and Rouse to reach first base despite striking out.

The Leopards then loaded the bases on a walk and HBP, and another hit batter plated the second run of the inning. A third run scored on a passed ball, and Robinson increased the lead to six with a two-run single through the right side with two outs.

Two Lafayette errors allowed an unearned run to score in the bottom half of the ninth, but Kaufman closed the door to register his third-career collegiate save.

Michael Coniglio had another strong game for the Leopards from the leadoff position, reaching base three times on two hits and his team-leading seventh walk of the season. Coniglio also swiped his sixth base of 2016 in the sixth inning, which put him in scoring position for Leckie's go-ahead single.

Lafayette is right back in action tomorrow, heading to Boiling Springs, N.C., to take on Gardner-Webb at 1 p.m.

Notes:

Bednar had previously made it into the eighth inning against Holy Cross (March 28) and Navy (April 11) last season. He went a career-high 7 2/3 innings in the contest against the Mids.

Seven of the Leopards' nine starters had at least one hit this afternoon.

Today's game was played at USC-Upstate, a team that Lafayette is scheduled to play on Monday and Wednesday to conclude its Spring Break road swing.