EASTON, Pa. – The Lafayette College baseball team split its doubleheader on Sunday with Holy Cross at Kamine Stadium. The Leopards won the first game, 5-2, and then dropped the second game 5-4 in 10 innings.
The Leopards were led in game one by junior
Justin Johnson who went 2-for-3 with one run and two RBIs. Junior
Dylan Minghini went 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
Starting pitcher freshman
Luke Benneche threw a career-high 6.0 innings, striking out a career-high six batters. Sophomore
Nolan Morr came in for an inning of relief and recorded his fourth save of the season.
Game two saw freshman
Bo Planeta leading the way going 1-for-3 with two hits. Freshman
Justin Grech totaled a team-high two RBIs while senior
Ethan Stern went 1-for-3 and recording his first triple of the season.
Starting pitcher sophomore
Kyle Subers went 4.0 innings, striking out four.
Leopards (9-12, 8-10 PL) got themselves on the board first in game one in the bottom of the second, after sophomore
Pete Ciuffreda doubled to start off the inning. Minghini then drew a walk to put runners on first and second for the Leopards with no outs.
Senior
Colin Hartey then reached first on a fielder's choice to advance Ciuffreda to third. Sophomore
Seif Ingram then singled to bring Ciuffreda home and put the Leopards up 1-0.
The Maroon and White added another run in the bottom of the third after freshman
Justin Grech started off the inning with a stand-up triple. Johnson then singled to bring him home and put the Leopards ahead by two.
Holy Cross (6-10, 5-7 PL) cut the Leopards lead in half in the top of the fourth to make it 2-1 and tied up the game in the top of the fifth.
Lafayette took the lead again in the bottom of the fifth after Johnson singled to bring home junior
Zach Savage, who had been on second after drawing a walk and then advancing on Grech's walk. Ciuffreda was then intentionally walked, loading the bases.
Minghini singled, bringing home the runners on second and third to make it 5-2, Leopards.
Morr came in and sealed the game one victory for the Leopards and his fourth save of the season.
Holy Cross struck first in game two, getting one run across in the top of the first to make it 1-0.
The Leopards tied it up in the bottom of the second, after Grech singled to bring home Ingram who had reached base on a single to start off the inning.
Holy Cross added another in the top of the third to make it 2-1.
Lafayette put up two runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead. Johnson started off the inning with a double and then eventually advancing to third on a passed ball. Stern than tripled to bring home Johnson and tie-up the game at two runs each. Minghini's hit into a double play later in the inning was enough to bring Stern home and give the Leopards the 3-2 lead.
Each team added a run in the fourth to bring the score to 4-3 in favor of the Leopards.
Holy Cross tied the game up in the top of the seventh off a solo home run. Neither side could get a run across the plate in the regular nine innings of play, sending the game into the 10
th inning.
The Crusaders added a run in the top of the 10
th to take the lead and make it 5-4. Lafayette couldn't find the response run in the bottom of the inning and the Crusader's took game two of the doubleheader, 5-4.
Sunday's second game marked the third extra-inning game that the Leopards have played so far this season.
Despite the splitting the Sunday doubleheader, the Leopards still won the weekend series after winning Saturday's game.
Up next for the Leopards is a three-game weekend series with the Army Black Knights. Saturday the Leopards will welcome the Black Knights for a doubleheader, slated for a 12 p.m. start, and Sunday the two squads are slated for a single game in West Point, New York, at 2 p.m.
