April 17, 2004

Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)

EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette baseball took two games from Bucknell on Saturday to move into sole possession of second place in the Patriot League standings. In game one, the Leopards received a complete game from Marcus Ward and solo home runs from Adam Bucci and Craig Alexander on their way to a 4-1 win. In game two, Brian Cope struck out 10 en route to his first victory of the season, an 8-2 Lafayette triumph.

In the series opener, Bucci smashed the first offering of the second inning over the rightfield fence to give Lafayette a 1-0 lead. The next batter, Frank Cortazar, reached second on a fielding error by the first baseman. With one out in the inning, Ian Law singled up the middle to score Cortazar and give the Leopards a 2-0 lead.

The Leopards' (15-17, 8-6) lead held up for the rest of the game. In the fourth, Bucknell's Kyle Walter quickly cut the lead in half, however, with a one-out home run to left off Ward.

Bucknell (16-15, 6-8) went to its bullpen to start the bottom of the fifth inning, bringing in lefty Tim Peacock to replace starter Matt Daley. Peacock walked the lead-off batter, Eric Vacca, and then retired Jeff Rodgers on a liner. The Leopards then cranked out three straight singles. The first by Rob Fioretti left runners on first and second. Jason Boyd followed with a knock, but Bucknell cut down Vacca trying to score at the plate, 7-5-2. The final of the three singles came from Adam Rosenberg's bat. It was not hit as hard to leftfield, giving the speedy Fioretti time to score from second.

In the home sixth, Alexander's second home run of the season extended Lafayette's lead to 4-1. With two outs and runners on first and second, Bucknell coach Gene Depew again went to his bullpen, this time for Matt Curry. Curry retired Fioretti to end the inning with just one across.

Ward, who had been battling shoulder stiffness and was questionable prior to the game, showed no ill effects during the game. He finished off the Bucknell lineup in the top of the seventh to earn his third complete game of the season and up his record to 4-1. Ward fanned five and allowed one run on four hits. Daley, who threw four innings in the loss, allowed two runs (one earned) while walking one and striking out two.

Marcus Ward went head to head with Bucknell's No. 1 starter Matt Daley and emerged with a 4-1 win in game one on Saturday.

In game two, Lafayette received a complete-game 10-strikeout performance from Cope and a used a five-run seventh inning to capture an 8-2 win.

The Leopards drew first blood when they scored two runs in the bottom of the third inning. Rodgers got the inning going with a one-out single to left. Fioretti drove him in with a double deep to right centerfield, and then advanced to third on the throw to home. The Leopards led 2-0 after Boyd plated Fioretti on a sac fly.

In the top of the fifth, Bucknell trimmed the Lafayette lead to 2-1. Brian Hirschberg lifted an 0-2 offering high to centerfield for what looked like a routine flyball. The ball kept traveling and cleared the wall. With runners on first and third and two outs in the inning, Bucknell sent the runner on first to steal second base. Alexander fired the ball back to Cope on the mound and the Leopards caught Ben Stoll leaning off third base. Lafayette retired him a rundown, 2-1-5-2-6.

Lafayette played small ball in the fifth inning to take the run back. Law led off with a single and Vacca bunted him to second. The next batter, Rodgers, ripped a single up the middle past Bucknell starter Kevin Miller to score Law and give Lafayette a 3-1 margin.

The Leopards broke the game open with five runs in the bottom half of the seventh. A two-out error by Bucknell first baseman Pete Wolf opened the door and allowed Law to score to make it 4-1. With two aboard, Rosenberg kept the inning going with a bases-clearing triple. The next pitch to the next batter, Bucci, was smashed to the deepest part of centerfield, and Bucci's fifth home run of the season left Lafayette with an 8-1 lead.

Bucknell answered with a run in the visitor eighth, as Sam Moss rocketed a single through the legs of Cope to make it 8-2. That was all the Bucknell offense could muster against Cope (1-1) who earned his first win of the season. Cope's 10 strikeouts on Saturday were the second-most of his career, one behind his 11-strikeout performance on April 3 at Army in a no-decision. Miller (2-4) was handed the loss, allowing eight runs on nine hits over seven innings. He struck out five and walked two.

The two teams return to action on Sunday in another seven-inning/nine-inning doubleheader. The first pitch is scheduled for noon.