EASTON, Pa. – Trailing by as many as five runs at two different points in the second game, Lehigh rallied and scored four runs in the ninth, but came up short as archrival Lafayette swept Sunday's doubleheader from the Mountain Hawks at Class of 1978 Stadium. The Leopards took the first game 6-1 and then fended off Lehigh's rally to win the second game 8-7. With the losses, Lehigh now falls to 12-26-1 overall and 2-14 in the Patriot League, while Lafayette improves to 25-13 on the season and 14-2 in league play.
In the first game, Kevin Leasure scored off Tom Hayes' first RBI single of the game and Dave Dreschel scored off a sacrifice fly to give Lafayette a 2-0 lead. The Leopards continued to build on their lead with a three-run the third inning. In the fifth, Hayes had his second RBI single in the that scored Chris Luick to make the score 6-0.
Lehigh got on the scoreboard in the seventh inning. With runners on the corners, senior David Moscow hit a sacrifice fly to right field that allowed senior Stephen Salemme to cross home plate.
Sophomore Bill McDonnell picked up the loss after he allowed five runs off four hits in 2.2 innings. Kevin Reese threw a complete game for the win. He allowed one run off three hits and fanned seven of the 24 batters he faced.
In the second game, the Mountain Hawks got onto the scoreboard first. In the third inning, freshman Dan Clauson hit a lead-off single to center and then advanced to second on the play due to a Lafayette error. He advanced to third when classmate Billy Swenson grounded out to second. With two outs, junior Joe Ercolano doubled to right field, which allowed Clauson to score and give Lehigh a 1-0 lead.
The Mountain Hawks held Lafayette scoreless up to the sixth inning. Luick's single up the middle allowed Mike Raible to score from second and knot the game up at one. The Leopards took the lead when Dreschel hit a two-run homer to left center to give Lafayette 3-1 lead. A three-run seventh inning allowed Lafayette to take its first five-run lead of the game.
Lehigh began to cut the deficit in the eighth. Moscow hit an RBI single to Daniel Bierce at shortstop that allowed Salemme to score. Clauson loaded the bases when he was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch allowed Lehigh's three runners to each advance one base with senior Nick Bet scoring to make the score 6-3.
However, Lafayette increased its lead to five once again with a pair of runs in the eighth.
Lehigh clawed their way back with junior Liam O'Connor's single to the Lafayette's John Fugett on the mound to load the bases. Senior Nick Bet smacked a two-run double to left field that scored Salemme and Ercolano to make the score 8-5. With two outs, Moscow hit a two-run single to center field to pull Lehigh to within one, but that would be the closest Lehigh would get as Lafayette got the final out it needed to stop the Mountain Hawks' rally.
Freshman Andrew Berger picked up the loss. Berger struck out three of the 25 batters he faced, but allowed three runs off seven hits in 5.2 innings. Jeremy Atkins earned the win after he allowed one run off seven hits in 6.2 innings. Brad Woodfield was awarded the save as he pitched the final 0.2 inning, fanned two batters and allowed just one hit.
Lehigh returns to action on Tuesday afternoon with the first of a six consecutive home games when the Mountain Hawks host Arcadia on the Goodman Campus. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 pm.
