FLEMINGTON, N.J. – The 2021 edition of Lafayette baseball got off to a successful start on Saturday afternoon with a 5-3 win over Wagner at the Diamond Nation complex in New Jersey. The Leopards dropped the nightcap 14-12 to split the Saturday doubleheader.
 
In game one, sophomore righthander Jordan Yoder was fantastic on the mound. The Allen, Texas native went six strong innings, surrendering only three earned runs on five Seahawk hits for the win. Fellow sophomore Jake Bloss came on in relief for a three-inning save.     
 
The Leopards wasted no time jumping onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the first with a lead-off triple from freshman Justin Grech. Grech scored on the next play on a groundout RBI from junior Justin Johnson.
 
Wagner answered with two runs in the top of the second before Lafayette knotted the game up with aggressive baserunning. Johnson stole third before scoring on a Seahawk throwing error to tie the game at two. It was one of five Leopard stolen bases in the opening game.  
 
Lafayette regained the lead (4-2) in the bottom of the fourth on a Grech two-run single to centerfield, scoring a pair of sophomores — Kyle Chmielewski and Seif Ingram. The teams exchanged runs in the seventh, the Leopard run coming on an Ethan Stern double to rightfield to score Johnson.    
 
In game two, Grech continued his hot start to the season by leading off the Lafayette half of the first with a homerun to right center. After Wagner scored two in the second, the Leopards responded with two of their own in the third when senior Colin Hartey drew a bases-loaded walk to score Grech and sophomore Pete Ciuffreda reached on a fielder's choice to plate Johnson.
 
A three-run homer in the fourth gave Wagner a 5-3 advantage. The Seahawks tacked on five in the fifth inning to increase the advantage to seven (10-3).
 
Then, the Lafayette bats came alive in the middle innings, erupting for two in the fifth and five in the sixth to cut the deficit to two (12-10). The five sixth-inning runs came on three hits, including a bases-clearing double to right-center from Chmielewski.
 
Wagner extended its lead back to four (14-12) with one run in the seventh and eighth inning. The Leopards, again, responded with two in the bottom of the eighth on a Ciuffreda double to left field, scoring Hartey and Stern.
 
After a 1-2-3 top of the ninth inning from freshman Luke Benneche, the Leopards were not able to cap off a comeback, going down in order to drop the nightcap, 14-12.      
 
Lafayette will take the week to prepare for its Patriot League opening weekend vs. Army on March 13 and 14. The Leopards will host the Black Knights for a Saturday afternoon doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. before a single game in West Point, N.Y. on Sunday at 1 p.m.