The baseball team (1-9 overall) traveled to the University of Delaware (6-5 overall) last weekend to take on the Blue Hens at Bob Thomas Stadium. Although the Leopards dropped two out of three games in the series, they managed to pick up their first win of the season on Saturday.
Friday’s series opener resulted in an 11-4 loss for the Maroon and White. In a game that started close, the Blue Hens took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning which was matched by a sacrifice fly by freshman infielder Matt Colella in the top of the third. The game would not be tied for long, however, as Delaware plated four runs in the bottom of the frame to blow the game open.
The Leopards would not score again until the seventh inning when the Blue Hens had already tallied seven runs. Four more runs in the eighth inning secured the Delaware victory.
On Saturday, the Leopards took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI single from sophomore catcher Ethan Swidler.
While Delaware would respond by taking a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the frame, the bats came alive for the Maroon and White in the fourth inning. Junior infielder Ethan Young scored on a wild pitch and Colella and sophomore outfielder Charlie Chropuvka drove in runs to give the team a 4-2 advantage.
The main story for the rest of the game was Lafayette’s performance on the mound. Freshman right-handed pitcher Tristan Helmick got the start and was then relieved by junior right-handed pitcher Joe Skapinetz with one out in the fourth.
Skapinetz remained on the mound for the rest of the contest, racking up 10 strikeouts and not allowing any hits or runs over the next five and one-third innings. The Leopards went on to end their eight-game drought with a 4-2 victory. Skapinetz was named Patriot League Pitcher of the Week for his performance.
“Saturday was great, especially getting that first win underneath our belt,” Swidler said. “It was a full team effort. Every single person stepped up to help the team win.”
The Leopards fought hard in the series rubber match. The Blue Hens jumped out to a 4-0 lead, scoring runs in each of the first three innings. The Leopards cut the lead to two in the fourth thanks to a two-run home run from Swidler and took a 5-4 lead in the next inning with RBIs from Swidler and junior infielder Ben Petrone.
However, they could not get the bats moving for the rest of the contest, as Delaware would tie the game back up in the sixth and walk it off on a solo home run with two outs in the ninth, resulting in a 6-5 loss for the Leopards.
“Moving forward, we need to work on limiting strikeouts on the offensive side,” Swidler said. “We also need to limit free bases on the defensive side.”
The Maroon and White will travel to Wofford College this weekend to face off against the Terriers in a three-game series.
Four members of the baseball team did not respond to requests for comment.
