WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Lafayette baseball team split Saturday's Patriot League Tournament Semifinal doubleheader, dropping game one 6-8 and winning game two 10-1, to force a decisive game three on Sunday for a chance to advance to the Patriot League Tournament Championship. 
 
The Leopards were led in game one by senior Colin Hartey who went 2-for-4 with one run and two RBIs. Sophomore Pete Ciuffreda also went 2-for-4 totaling one run, one double, one RBI and one stolen base. Freshman Blaze Fadio went 1-for-4, recording two RBIs with a two-run home run.
 
Starting pitcher junior Kyle Subers went 3.2 innings, striking out two.
 
The Maroon and White were led in game two once again by Hartey who went 3-for-4 with three runs and a double. Stern went 2-for-4 with a double, while both Fadio and junior Zach Savage each hit a home run. Fadio's home run was his second of the day and sixth of the season.
 
Starting pitcher freshman Luke Benneche threw a career-high 6.2 innings, four of which were scoreless, striking out four and earning his second win of the season.
 
Lafayette (14-16, 12-13 PL) got on the board first in game one. Senior Ethan Stern was hit by a pitch with two outs to get on base for Ciuffreda who doubled to right center bringing Stern home and give the Leopards an early 1-0 lead.
 
The Maroon and White added another run in the top of the second, making it 2-0, after Fadio hit into a fielder's choice to bring Hartey home, who had reached base after singling to start off the inning.
 
Army (25-22, 13-10 PL) put three runs home in the bottom of the fourth to take a 3-2 lead.
 
The Leopards tied the game up in the bottom of the fifth after junior Justin Johnson started off the inning by reaching base on an error by the Black Knights shortstop. Two batters later Ciuffreda singled, advancing Johnson to third and putting runners on the corners for junior Dylan Minghini.
 
Ciuffreda then stole second and Minghini drew a walk to load the bases. Hartey was then hit by a pitch, advancing all runners and bringing Johnson home the tie up the game 3-3.
 
Fadio gave the Leopards a 4-3 lead in the sixth off his first home run of the day. But Army added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, one more in the bottom of the seventh and two more in the bottom of the eight to bring the score to 8-4.
 
Lafayette added two runs in the top of the ninth but Army earned the game one 8-6 victory.
 
In a must win game two, the Leopards once again jumped out to a quick start, putting up two runs in the first inning to take an early 2-0 lead.
 
Hartey started off the top of the second with a single, setting himself up on base for Savage who hit a home run over the right field fence to put the Leopards up 4-0. The Leopards added another run in the fourth to bring the score to 5-0.
 
Army broke through Lafayette's defense in the bottom of the fifth to put a run across home and make it 5-1.
 
Sophomore Seif Ingram started off the sixth inning with a single to right field. Hartey doubled to advance Ingram and put runners on second and third. Savage then hit a sacrifice fly to score Ingram and push the Leopards lead out to 6-1. And then with Hartey on second, Fadio hit his second home run of the day to put the Leopards ahead by seven.
 
The Maroon and White added one more run in the seventh and one more in the eighth to bring the game two final to 10-1, forcing a game three.
 
Lafayette and Army will now play in a decisive game three on Sunday at 12:05 p.m. in West Point. The winner of Sunday's game will advance to the Patriot League Tournament Championship to take on either No. 1 Lehigh or No. 4 Navy for a chance to advance to the NCAA Tournament.