ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Lafayette College baseball team defeated UNC Asheville on Tuesday, 8-3, in eleven innings. The win moves Lafayette to 3-13 on the season.
The Leopards were led by freshman
Carter Dorighi who went 2-for-5 with two runs, and freshman
Kaleb Willis who went 3-for-5 with two runs and one RBI. Senior
Dylan Minghini totaled a team-leading three RBIs while junior
Seif Ingram recorded two.
Starting pitcher junior
Nolan Morr went 6.0 innings, striking out two. Junior
Jordan Yoder picked up the win, coming in to pitch 4.0 innings of relief and junior
Jacob Ciccone came in for an inning of relief.
Lafayette (3-13, 0-0 PL) got on the board first in the top of the second. Junior
Kyle Chmielewski led off the inning with a walk. Dorighi then singled to advance Chmielewski to third. Freshman
Michael Zarrillo then drew a walk to load the bases with one out.
The next batter, Ingram, drew a bases loaded walk to bring in the Leopards first run of the game. A wild pitch by UNC Asheville (4-11, 0-0 Big South) advanced Ingram to second, Zarrillo to third and brought Dorighi home to give Lafayette a 2-0 lead.
The Bulldogs plated two runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game 2-2.
Lafayette added another run in the top of the eighth off a sacrifice fly to center field by Minghini to take a 3-2 lead, but the Bulldog's counter with a run of their own in the bottom of the eighth to once again tie the game.
Neither squad could get runs across the plate in the ninth, sending the game into extra innings.
The Leopards were unable to break through the Bulldog's defense until the 11
th inning. Dorighi started the Leopards offense with a double down the left field line. Zarrillo than drew a walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. Both runners then advanced on a passed ball.
Ingram hit sacrifice fly to center field to advance Zarrillo to third, score Dorighi and put Lafayette back in front 4-3. Willis then singled to score Zarrillo and put Lafayette up 5-3.
Sophomore
Justin Grech then singled to left field, sending Willis to second. Both runners then advanced a base on a double steal and then an error by the Bulldog's catcher brought Willis home to put Lafayette up by three.
Two batters later, junior
Pete Ciuffreda was intentionally walked putting runners on the corners for Minghini who singled. Ciuffreda and Grech both came across home plate on Minghini's single to give Lafayette an 8-3 lead.
After walking the first batter Ciccone, who came in to take over on the mound for Yoder, struck out the next three Bulldog batters to secure the victory for the Leopards.
The Bulldogs were led by senior Dominic Freeberger who went 2-for-5 with one run and freshman Corbin Lanowitz who went 2-for-3 with one run. Freeberger also came in to pitch an inning of relief. Sophomore Michael Groves led UNC Asheville in RBIs with two.
Lafayette continues its road swing on Wednesday with a 6 p.m. game at Eastern Tennessee State University.
