EASTON, Pa. – The Lafayette baseball team hosted Delaware for a Liberty Bell Classic Quarterfinal on Tuesday at Kamine Stadium. The Leopards dropped a back-and-forth contest to the Blue Hens, 13-9.

Since 1992, the Liberty Bell Classic has featured eight Philadelphia area schools, each competing for an opportunity to play in the championship game at Citizen's Bank Park, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Leopards wasted no time in taking a 3-0 lead in the first, scoring on a Delaware error, an RBI-single by senior Michael Zarrillo that scored freshman Alex Barrist and a wild pitch.

The Blue Hens got a run back in the second on an RBI-double to left field by Andrew Amato, making the score 3-1.

Lafayette responded with a run in the bottom half of the frame, as Zarrillo hit an RBI-groundout to second base, scoring junior Ethan Swidler and bringing the Lafayette advantage to 4-1.

The Leopards extended their lead in the fourth, driving in three more runs: Barrist had an RBI-groundout, senior Easton Brenner laced an RBI-triple down the left field line and sophomore Matt Colella placed a bunt past the Blue Hens' pitcher to score Brenner and make the tally 7-2.

The Blue Hens answered with three more runs in the fifth, four in the seventh and one in the eighth to take a 10-7 lead.

Lafayette struck back in the bottom of the eighth, as Brenner slapped an RBI-single to left center field and Zarrillo drove in Barrist on an RBI-groundout to bring the score to 10-9.

In the ninth, Delaware added three insurance runs, making the final score 13-9.

Dylan Bryan earned the win, throwing 2.1 innings, giving up three hits and two runs, while striking out four. Jake Pollaro collected the save, working 1.2 scoreless innings and recording two strikeouts. Freshman Kellen Moore took the loss, pitching 1.2 innings, giving up four runs on four hits with three strikeouts.

The Leopards travel to rival Lehigh on Friday for a four-game series that starts at 3 p.m.