PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Despite a resilient offensive effort led by multi-RBI performances from Matt Colella and Boden Fernsler, the Lafayette Leopards fell, 16-11, to La Salle on Wednesday afternoon.

Lafayette jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Fernsler lined a two-out double to right-center, scoring Jack Mislan and Liam Ebbs. After La Salle responded with three runs in the bottom half of the frame, the Leopards reclaimed the lead in the second. Will Dobil tripled to drive in Kyle McKernan, and Ebbs later reached on a fielder's choice to bring Dobil home, making it 4-3.

The momentum shifted towards the Explorers in the middle innings. La Salle scored four runs in the second and two in the third to make the score 9-4. The Leopards attempted to keep pace in the fourth inning as McKernan and Dobil both scored on fielder's choice plays by Ebbs and Colella to cut the deficit to 9-6.

La Salle extended its lead to 15-6 by the end of the fifth, but Lafayette refused to go quietly. In the top of the sixth, Ebbs singled to score Dobil, followed by a three-run home run from Colella that brought the Leopards within five at 15-10. However, the Explorers added an insurance run in the seventh. Lafayette played a run in the ninth on an RBI-triple by Mislan, making the final score 16-11.

Aidan Zakarewicz earned the win for La Salle, pitching 3.0 innings and allowing six runs on two hits with four walks and a strikeout. Lafayette starter Braden Pomponi took the loss, surrendering five runs on two hits and two walks in 1.1 innings of work.

The Leopards are next in action when they open Patriot League play on Friday at Bucknell at 3 p.m.