WEST POINT, N.Y. – Despite a late-inning power surge, Lafayette baseball fell in a 9-8 heartbreaker to Army in 10 innings on Monday at Doubleday Field.
Lafayette jumped to an early advantage, capitalizing on wildness from the Army pitching staff in the second inning.
Jack Mislan sparked the rally with a triple and scored on an RBI-single by
Kyle McKernan.
Will Dobil later drew a bases-loaded walk to plate
Bode Grieve, followed by a sacrifice fly from
Matt Colella to push the lead to 3-0. The Leopards added two more in the third when
Ryan Stoddard laced a two-out, two RBI-single to score
Luke Caucci and Mislan and extend the cushion to 5-0.
Leopard starter
Ben Waterman dominated early, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning. However, the Black Knights erased the deficit in the bottom of the seventh, punctuated by a Zac Farrell grand slam that tied the game at 5-5.
Lafayette reclaimed the momentum in the ninth inning. After
Brandon Doubek and Mislan reached base, Grieve launched a dramatic three-run home run to left field, giving the Leopards an 8-5 lead. The advantage proved short-lived, as Army rallied for three runs in the bottom half of the inning to force extras.
In the 10th, Colella singled to help put two runners in scoring position, but the Leopards were unable to capitalize. In the bottom of the inning, Army's Josiah Overbeek hit a solo home run to end the contest, giving the Black Knights the 9-8 victory.
Overbeek earned the win for Army. He pitched 1.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out one.
Alex Payne took the loss, facing one batter.
Lafayette is next in action when it hosts St. Peter's on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
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