It has been a few weeks since we’ve covered Lafayette athletics. Here’s everything you might have missed.
Baseball
The baseball team (3-5 Patriot League, 6-23 overall) went 2-7 in two weeks of play, with its marquee game coming in a 5-3 win over Penn State (18-10 overall) on March 19 off of a seventh-inning 2-RBI double from junior utility player Ryan Ulisse.
The Leopards kicked off their Patriot League season on March 22 at home against Army (6-5 Patriot League, 11-15 overall), losing two closely battled games in the doubleheader, 4-3 and 15-11, respectively. The Maroon and White led both games going into the late innings, but multi-run innings propelled the Black Knights to victory.
Continuing the home stand, the Leopards faced Holy Cross (5-3 Patriot League, 13-16 overall) in a doubleheader on March 23, losing the first game 6-5 but winning the second 9-6. Once again, the Leopards led early in their first game, taking a 5-2 lead into the sixth inning but surrendering four late runs.
Finally, the Maroon and White hosted the Delaware Blue Hens (16-11 overall) on March 25, falling 13-9 after surrendering an early lead late in the game.
Golf
The golf team opened up its spring season at the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate in Williamsburg, Virginia, March 24-25. The Maroon and White finished tied for eighth out of 13 teams. Senior Quint Dingledine led the Leopards with a t-31 finish at 8-over through 54 holes.
Men’s lacrosse
The men’s lacrosse team (3-2 Patriot League, 7-3 overall) went undefeated in two Patriot League games over the last two weeks, notching a 13-8 home win against Holy Cross (1-4 Patriot League, 3-8 overall) on March 15 and a close 11-10 win over Loyola Maryland (0-4 Patriot League, 0-9 overall) on March 22. The Maroon and White have now vaulted to fourth in the Patriot League after an 0-2 start.
Freshman attacker Joshua Heaney tallied four runs against Holy Cross, with a hat trick in the second quarter, which earned him Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors.
The scoring was much more distributed for the Leopards against Loyola, with nine different Leopards finding the back of the net. The freshmen continued to shine for the Maroon and White, with freshman attacker Benjamin DiBattista notching a hat trick.
Women’s lacrosse
The women’s lacrosse team (1-3 Patriot League, 5-6 overall) went 1-2 in Patriot League games, falling to Holy Cross (4-0 Patriot League, 8-3 overall) 15-4 on March 15 and Boston University (2-2 Patriot League, 7-4 overall) 17-8 on March 22 before winning its first Patriot League game of the season on the road against American University (1-4 Patriot League, 5-7 overall) 10-8 on March 26.
Senior midfielder Sophia Spallone netted goals in each of the three games, notching a season-high four in the win against American. She has now scored in every game for the Leopards this season, and leads the team in scoring.
Softball
The softball team (3-3 Patriot League, 5-21 overall) hosted its first home games of the season over the break. The Leopards dropped both games in a doubleheader against Marist College (28-5 overall) on March 14, losing 11-2 and 11-1, but rebounded to notch their first wins of the season against St. Peter’s University (9-18 overall) the next day in two 1-score games, 6-5 and 5-4, respectively.
The Maroon and White continued their home stand — and their winning streak — to start their Patriot League season against Holy Cross (0-3 Patriot League, 6-20 overall) on March 22 and 23. The Leopards won all three games, winning 3-2 and 9-1 in the doubleheader on Saturday before capping off their 5-game win streak with a 7-5 win on Sunday.
Tennis
The tennis teams traveled to Hilton Head, South Carolina, for their annual spring break trip. Both teams competed in three matches, with the women going 3-0 against Coe College, Salem University and Fairmount State University and the men going 1-2, with a victory against Salem and losses to DePauw and Fairmount State.
The teams then opened their Patriot League schedules on a road trip to West Point, New York from March 21-23, each going 1-2.
The women fell 0-4 to Loyola Maryland on March 21 and Army on March 23, sandwiching a 4-1 victory over Holy Cross.
The men started the weekend with a close 4-3 win against Loyola, but then fell 1-4 to Holy Cross on Saturday and lost 0-4 to Army on Sunday.
Track and field
The track and field team kicked off its outdoor season at the Bob Davidson Team Challenge in High Point, North Carolina, on March 22 and 23, competing against schools like Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Brown.
On the track, sophomore Ida Moczerniuk continued where she left off in the Patriot League indoor championships, breaking her own school record in the 100-meter with 11.84 to place in sixth. She earned Patriot League women’s track athlete of the week honors for her performance.
Sophomore John Liedtka also put up a strong performance, finishing in third in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.74.
Senior Erin O’Leary led the field events for the Leopards, finishing second in the hammer throw with a 179’ 5” finish, which captured the fourth slot on the all-time list.
