Box Score Game 1 | Box Score Game 2
April 8, 2017
EASTON Pa. -- Army's big innings were the difference between wins and losses for the Leopards on Saturday at Metzgar Fields. In the first game, Army used a five-run fifth to win a 6-2 final and then employed a six-run fourth inning to claim an 8-7 decision.
Army starter Renee Poirier held the Leopards to just one hit in the first game. Lafayette broke a scoreless tie in the third. With one out in the inning, Samantha Sweigart lined a ball off the Poirier that ricocheted directly to second base. The relay throw to get the force out at second arrived in plenty of time, but the shortstop dropped it. The next batter, Miranda Skurla, laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Rebecca Dvorak to third and Sweigart to second base. Maddie Wensel's seeing-eye single up the middle scored two runs.
Army (26-11, 6-2) sliced Lafayette's lead in half in the top of the fourth. Kennedy Harrison doubled home Emily Gray from first base. The Leopards defense limited the rally to one run after picking off a runner at third base. Lafayette led 2-1.
The Black Knights cracked open the game with five runs on five hits and three Leopard errors in the top of the fifth inning. Katie Ontiveros (single), Gray (double) and Alee Rashenskas (single) each plated runs.
Lafayette went to the bullpen after the second run of the inning, replacing Stephanie Thomas with Stacy Gordon. Thomas (2-3) allowed six runs (two earned) on nine hits over 4.1 innings in the loss. Gordon finished off the game, giving up one hit in 2.2 innings.
The Leopards could not muster any more offense in the contest, retired in order in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings by Poirier (9-5) who struck out six.
In the second game, Army erased Lafayette's 2-0 lead. Stephanie Thomas' RBI-single put the Leopards ahead 1-0 in the second and then Lafayette added another run on an error in the third inning.
Army seemingly took control of the game in the top of the fourth, sending 10 batters to the plate to score six runs. Rashenskas (double), Lacey Swafford (2-run single) and Emily Ballesteros (2-run homer) all drove in runs for the Black Knights who lead 6-2.
The Leopards (4-15, 1-7) did not go away, batting around the order in the bottom of the fourth inning. Thomas (walk), Malori Pojar (pinch-hit single) and Sweigart (single) brought in runs before Army made a pitching change. Then, Jenna Orlando worked a one-out walk that knotted the game at 6-6.
Army re-took the lead in the fifth inning on Sam Hartman's single to right centerfield. Then, in the sixth, Army stretched the advantage to 8-6 following a pair of doubles by Swafford and Ballesteros.
In the bottom of the inning, Lafayette had runners on the corners with one out, but a foul out and ground out ended the scoring chance.
Down to their last at-bat, the Leopards send Kristyn Marinelli to the plate and she promptly led off with a solo homer run deep to centerfield off Army reliever Kristen West. Lafayette trailed 8-7. The next three Leopard batters had hard-hit balls, but all to the West Point leftifleder to end the game.
Gordon (2-6) took the loss for the Leopards, surrendering four runs on four hits in 1.1 innings. West (6-3) was the circle winner, giving up one run on two hits in 3.2 innings.
The two teams close out the series on Sunday with first pitch slated for noon.
