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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Lafayette baseball team grabbed a one-run lead in the sixth inning and never looked back on Tuesday evening at Citizens Bank Park, as two home runs and some timely hitting gave the Leopards a 9-4 win over Delaware in the Liberty Bell Classic Championship.

Mark Anderson twirled a gem for the Maroon and White, as the sophomore threw 7.1 innings, striking out four batters while giving up three runs en route to his second win of the season. Lafayette's bats didn't let Anderson have all the fun, as the Leopards racked up 11 hits behind a 3-for-5 performance from John Marti and a 2-for-4 night from senior co-captain Luke Robinson.

The victory over the Blue Hens marks the first time the Leopards have been the Liberty Bell Classic champions since they won the tournament in back-to-back seasons in 2007 and 2008.

The Leopards slipped behind Delaware early, as the Blue Hens were able to manufacture a run in the bottom of the first. The Maroon and White put two runners on in the top of the second, but couldn't bring them home as the game moved into the third inning.

Following a quiet third inning, Delaware added another run in the bottom of the fourth on a looping single. With the Maroon and White trailing 2-0 heading into the fifth inning, Jake Sniegocki got the Leopards on the board with one swing of the bat. The sophomore mashed his second-career homerun over the left field fence to make it 2-1.

Lafayette struck again in the top of the sixth as the heart of the lineup came alive. John Marti got the inning started off with a single up the middle. With one out, Luke Robinson smacked a double that plated Marti and tied the game at 2-2. After Robinson moved to third on a botched pick-off attempt, a single from Steven Cohen gave the Leopards their first lead at 3-2.

The Leopards tacked on three runs in the eighth inning, as Patrick Nelson cashed in on a bases-loaded opportunity with a bases-clearing double down the leftfield line to put the Maroon and White up 6-2. The Blue Hens grabbed two runs back in the eighth as the Leopards headed into the ninth holding onto a 6-4 lead.

With two outs in the top of the ninth, John Marti sparked the offense once again with a double to left center. Two straight wild pitches allowed Marti score to make it 7-4. Spencer Rouse followed with a base-on-balls to give the Leopards another base runner with two outs. Robinson broke it open for the Maroon and White in the next at bat, sending a shot over the right field wall to give the game its final score line as Brett Kreyer closed out the Blue Hens in the bottom of the ninth as the Leopards earned the 9-4 victory.

The Maroon and White have a quick turnaround when they head to Lehigh tomorrow afternoon for a Patriot League showdown with the Mountain Hawks.