Box Score

EASTON, Pa. -- Lafayette starter Trevor Houck matched a career-high with seven innings pitched in a strong outing on the mound, but three unearned runs turned out to make the difference for Penn in a 6-5 victory Tuesday afternoon in the consolation round of the Liberty Bell Classic.

The Quakers (11-12) scored twice in the ninth inning to extend its lead to 6-2, and a three-run rally by Lafayette in the bottom of the frame came up just short.

Houck retired 13 of his final 14 batters faced, including 1-2-3 innings in the fourth, sixth and seventh. He surrendered only one earned run on six hits while striking out five.

The junior right-hander worked out of trouble in the opening inning, inducing a fielder's choice and a 5-4-3 double play after the first two batters reached on a single and a hit-by-pitch. He was not as fortunate in the following frame, however, as Ryan Mincher led off with a triple to left center and came home on a Matt O'Neill sacrifice fly.

Penn added its three key unearned runs in the third inning. Houck quickly got the first two outs, and he appeared set for a six-pitch frame, but a shallow fly by Tim Graul to center was lost in the wind and fell in for a two-out double. Graul then scored after Sean Phelan reached on a Leopard fielding error, and the Quakers followed with three-straight singles to open up some breathing room.

Lafayette struggled to generate much offense against Penn starter Adam Bleday. He gave up one unearned run on three hits through his five innings of work. That run came in the fifth, aided by a pair of Penn miscues. Alex Woinski hit a popup in the infield that turned into a double after no fielder took charge on the play, and he scored on the next pitch when John Selsor reached on a throwing error.

The Leopards' second run of the game was also unearned. Steven Cohen led off the sixth with a walk, but was picked off attempting to steal second base. The Quakers, though, could not complete the putout, with a throwing error allowing Cohen to make it all the way to third. Dan Leckie made the visitors pay with a sacrifice fly to center field.

Penn tacked on two more runs in the ninth on a passed ball and a one-out RBI single, appearing to put the game out of reach. Lafayette had other ideas, with its first five baserunners reaching in the bottom of the frame.

Stepping to the plate with the bases loaded and nobody out, Andrew Landolfi reached on an infield single off the glove of reliever Jack Hartman to make it 6-3. Another run scored when Michael Coniglio was hit by a pitch, and Cohen pulled the Leopards within one on a sacrifice fly to center. That also advanced Landolfi to third, and Coniglio swiped his second bag of the afternoon to put the winning run in scoring position. Jake Nelson, however, got Dan Leckie to ground out to third for the final out.

Bleday picked up his first win of the season, improving his record to 1-2, while Houck fell to 0-2 with the hard-luck loss.

Lafayette (9-16) is right back in action tomorrow afternoon, hosting Penn State for a 3:30 p.m. tilt at Kamine Stadium.