EASTON, Pa. - The Lafayette baseball team split the first two games of Patriot League play against rival Lehigh at Kamine Stadium on Friday. The Mountain Hawks won the opening game of the series, 5-4, and the Leopards took game two of the doubleheader, 6-4.

Game one remained scoreless until the bottom of the sixth, as Lafayette junior Joe Skapinetz and Lehigh's Marcus Danchison both pitched nearly perfectly through the first five frames. Skapinetz recorded nine strikeouts in the first five innings while Danchison struck out 10. The scoreless tie was broken in the sixth, when Lafayette junior Easton Brenner opened the inning with a single to left field and was followed by sophomore Ethan Swidler, who belted a two-run home run to left field that gave the Leopards a 2-0 lead. The home run was Swidler's fifth of the year.

Lafayette looked to close the game out in the top of the seventh, but the Mountain Hawks' Jake Whitlinger hit a seeing-eye single up the middle, to make the game 2-1. Later in the inning, Rafe Perich blasted a grand slam to right field, giving Lehigh a 5-2 lead.
 
The Leopards were not finished. With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Brenner singled to center field. Swidler then drew a walk, and both runners advanced a base on a passed ball. Senior Blaze Fadio hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Brenner and made the score 5-3. Junior Michael Zarrillo lined a single to right field, scoring Swidler and bringing the tally to 5-4. The Leopards would not be able to push another across the plate, and game one ended with a 5-4 final.

Brandon Coughlin collected his first win of the season for Lehigh, pitching 0.2 innings, giving up no hits, no runs and striking out two. Tommy Lamar got the save. Skapinetz took the loss for the Leopards, pitching 6.1 innings, giving up four hits, three runs and striking out nine. 

Game two began exactly the same as the first game, with Lafayette grabbing the lead first. Zarrillo singled to shortstop and then proceeded to steal second. Senior Justin Grech drove in Zarrillo on an RBI-single to left field, to give the Leopards a 1-0 lead.

In the third, Lafayette extended its advantage. Freshman Luke Caucci walked to start the frame, and two batters later, Brenner lined a two-run home run over the fence in left field, to give the Leopards a 3-0 lead.

Lehigh struck back in the fourth. Tyler Young singled and stole second, and then with two outs, Rogers doubled to left field, cutting the Lafayette advantage to 3-1.

The Leopards started the bottom of the fourth with a bunt-single by Grech, who then advanced to second on a throwing error by the Lehigh pitcher. Grech continued his way around the base path, advancing to third on a wild pitch. The next batter, freshman Ryan Grace, sliced an RBI-double to right center field, scoring Grech and extending the Lafayette lead to 4-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, Lafayette loaded the bases on by back-to-back singles by Swidler and Fadio, and then Zarillo was hit by a pitch. The next batter, freshman Teddy Cashman, hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Swidler. Grech hit another sacrifice fly, this time to right field, giving the Leopards a 6-1 advantage.

In the top of the sixth, Rogers continued his productive afternoon, singling to center field. Owen Waleander hit an RBI-double to right center, as the Mountain Hawks crept one run closer, making the score 6-2.

Lehigh scored another run in the seventh, on a Lafayette throwing error, bringing the tally to 6-3. 

The Mountain Hawks continued to chip away at the Leopards' lead in the eighth, as Rogers smacked a solo home run to left field, narrowing the score to 6-4.

In the ninth, senior Adam Bogosian closed out the Mountain Hawks, pitching around a one-out single and securing the 6-4 win for the Maroon and White.

Sophomore Trace Florio collected his second win of the season for the Leopards, pitching 7.0 innings, giving up nine hits, three runs and striking out four. Bogosian earned the save, pitching 2.0 innings, giving up three hits, one run and recording a strikeout. Jack Hamilton took the loss for Lehigh, pitching 3.0 innings, giving up four hits, three runs and striking out five.

The Leopards close out their series with Lehigh on Sunday, with a doubleheader starting at noon at Kamine Stadium.