Box Score

EASTON, Pa. -- Campbell Lipe had three hits and five RBIs, including what turned out to be the decisive run-scoring single in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Lafayette emerged with a 13-12 victory in a back-and-forth contest with Monmouth on Wednesday afternoon.

Lipe's other four RBIs came on a grand slam in the second inning which gave the Leopards (13-22) their largest advantage of 8-3. The Hawks (18-19) completed a stretch of scoring in five-consecutive innings with a single tally in the sixth to grab their first lead at 11-10, but Lipe's single completed a three-run rally in the seventh which put the Maroon and White back on top.

Ari Kaufman tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief to earn his second victory of the season, while Ryan Callanan picked up his third save after becoming the first Lafayette pitcher to register a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth.

Michael Coniglio also supplied three hits in the win, doing so for a team-leading seventh time in 2016. He scored three runs, drove in two and stole his Patriot League-leading 23rd base of the season.

Seven of Monmouth's eight runs in the first three innings were charged to starter Coleman Strohm, though only two of those runs were earned due to a pair of Leopard fielding errors.

Trailing 10-8 heading into the fifth, the Hawks tied the score on RBIs by Grant Lamberton and Robbie Alessandrine. Lamberton was a difficult out all afternoon, finishing the contest 5-for-6 with four RBIs and a run scored.

Chris Gaetano led off the sixth with a triple for Monmouth, and he crossed the plate on a groundout later in the frame to make it 11-10.

Stepping to the plate with runners on second and third and one out, Coniglio tied the score at 11-11 with a run-scoring single to right in the seventh. Dan Leckie gave the home side the lead with a sacrifice fly to center, and Lipe added what proved to be a crucial insurance run with his RBI single to left.

After pulling within a run in the eighth, the Hawks were shut down in the ninth by Callanan, who struck out the side on 12 pitches.

Steven Cohen and Luke Robinson had the other two RBIs for Lafayette, which had 14 hits overall in the contest. Andrew Landolfi and John Selsor each added a pair of hits in the win.

The Leopards, who have won two games in a row and three of their last four, return to action this weekend with a key Patriot League series at local rival Lehigh. Doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m.

Notes:

Lafayette wore gold laces for today's game to support pediatric cancer research through the charity organization "Go4TheGoal." Contributions to the cause are still being accepted on Lafayette's team donation page HERE.

Coniglio's 23 steals are tied for the third-most in a single season in Lafayette program history. Gino Cara managed 23 swipes in both the 1985 and 1986 campaigns.

Lipe is up to 26 RBIs on the year, 10 more than he had registered in any previous season on College Hill. His five RBIs today surpassed his previous career-high of four set in a 14-9 win over Davidson on March 5.

                          Lafayette displaying its gold laces during the National Anthem