Box Score

EASTON, Pa. - Two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings allowed Lafayette to rally from an early 4-0 deficit against St. Joseph's on Tuesday afternoon, but the visiting Hawks responded with a five-run seventh to pin a 9-4 setback on the Maroon and White in the first round of the Liberty Bell Classic.

Dan Leckie went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in his return to the lineup after a seven-game injury absence. Leckie was the lone Leopard with multiple base knocks, as the home side was held without a hit outside of its two scoring innings.

A strong gust out towards right field immediately became a factor in the first as St. Joseph's No. 3 hitter John Brue hit what appeared to be a lazy fly ball in that direction with two outs in the frame. The wind, however, carried the ball just beyond the fence to put Lafayette in a 1-0 hole.

The weather conditions again victimized starting pitcher Trevor Houck in the second, as Cal Jadackie hit a wind-aided three-run shot to right to make it 4-0. Houck ended up going three innings, allowing four runs on four hits to go along with a pair of strikeouts.

St. Joseph starter Pat Vanderslice kept the Leopards off the basepaths in his four innings of work, striking out two while throwing only 44 pitchers. Lafayette, though, rallied off reliever Justin Aungst in the fifth.

A defensive miscue kickstarted the inning, as Campbell Lipe reached on a throwing error to begin the frame. Leckie then blasted the next pitch thrown down the line in left to put runners on second and third, and Andrew Landolfi plated the first Leopard run on a sacrifice fly. John Selsor doubled Lafayette's total with a key two-out single through the hole on the left side.

The Maroon and White again got the first two runners on in the sixth, this time on a walk to Jackson Kramer and a double by Steven Cohen. Lipe picked up his 13th RBI of the season with a groundout to second, and Leckie followed with a single up the middle to tie the score. Landolfi was up next, and he shot an opposite-field single to right on an 0-2 count to move Leckie into scoring position with only one out, but reliever Zach DeVincenzo recovered to retire each of the next two batters.

David Giusti pitched three strong innings in relief of Houck, keeping the Hawks off the scoreboard while fanning three and giving up two hits. Ryan Callanan came on for Giusti in the seventh, entering the contest with a 1.00 ERA on the year, but the visitors got to him for four runs in today's outing. Deon Stafford Jr. scored the go-ahead run on an RBI double, and St. Joseph's added four more to its total, getting three hits off of both Callanan and Connor McMahon.

Jack Stover and Brian Lau combined to hold Lafayette's offense in check over the final three frames. The Hawks (10-10) advance to face Villanova in the semifinals of the Liberty Bell Classic, while the Leopards (6-14) will host Penn in a consolation matchup next Tuesday.

Before then, however, Lafayette begins Patriot League play at Army this weekend, with doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday both scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

Note:

Cohen's double in the sixth extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He has a hit in all but one contest so far this season.