Box Score

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Lafayette fell behind early and was never able to recover in an 11-3 defeat at Rutgers on Wednesday afternoon.

Michael Coniglio was the lone Leopard to pick up multiple hits, going 2-for-5 with an RBI from the leadoff position. Lafayette (1-4) committed three errors in the field for a third-consecutive game. Chris Suseck had three hits, five RBIs and a stolen base to lead the Scarlet Knights (3-4).

Rutgers had its first five batters reach base in the bottom of the first. After a throwing error allowed leadoff hitter R.J. Devish to reach, three consecutive hits off starter Trevor Houck allowed the Scarlet Knights to jump ahead 3-0. No. 5 batter John Jennings followed with a walk before Houck settled in to retire the next three in order.

The Leopards notched their first two hits on back-to-back two-out singles from Richard Villa and AJ Kloehn in the fourth, but they were unable to push a run across. Rutgers then grabbed a commanding 8-0 advantage with five runs in the bottom of the frame. A three-run shot from Suseck accounted for a majority of the damage.

Lafayette got on the board on a two-out single from Steven Cohen in the top half of the fifth. Cohen would add another RBI on a sacrifice fly in the seventh. He is up to nine RBIs on the season, including two or more in four of the season's first five games, and his .368 average is also tops on the team early on.

Cohen's sac fly came with the bases loaded and nobody out in the frame. Ryan Fleming came on in relief to get that out, and he would go on to deliver three perfect innings to register the save. Scarlet Knight starter Serafino Brito picked up the win after allowing three runs (two earned) over six-plus innings.

The Leopards remain on the road this weekend, heading to Davidson, N.C., to take on the Wildcats for a three-game series beginning with a 6 p.m. contest on Friday night.