Hofstra Knocks Off Lafayette Baseball, 5-2
March 3, 2004
WEST HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - Hofstra used a three-run fourth inning to hand Lafayette a 5-2 defeat in non-conference baseball action on Wednesday.
The Pride held a 1-0 lead through the first three innings of the game thanks to a Josh Stewart lead-off home run. The Pride broke the game open with a three-run fourth inning. Paul Fischetti (0-2), who gave up one run on two hits and six strikeouts in three innings, was lifted to start the fourth inning in favor of senior classmate Brandon Ripley. Ripley (2 IP, 4 R, 6 H) surrendered a lead-off single and then gave up a two-run home run to the next batter, George Athanasopoulos. Hofstra (1-5) took the 4-0 lead on an RBI-single from DH Andrew Campana.
Lafayette quickly sliced the lead in half with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning. Scott Bisco, Adam Rosenberg, but then walked the bases loaded, handing out free passes to Ian Law, Eric Vacca, and Ted Kramer. Sam DeLuca came on in relief of Bisco and hit James Conrad with a pitch to score a run. Rob Fioretti's one-out fielder's choice then scored Vacca to make it 4-2.
Hofstra added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning following a two-out double from J.P. Wechter and a run-scoring single from Mike Perullo. DeLuca, Jeff Denlea and Terrence Vogenberger held Lafayette to just one hit in each of the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, including Conrad's two-out double in the ninth. Conrad, a freshman who occupied the lead-off spot for Wednesday's game, went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Sophomore Matt Revelle and senior Don Smith combined to allow just one hit in the final two innings of relief for the Leopards. Revelle struck out two batters in the sixth inning and Smith fanned two of his own over the seventh and eighth innings.
Lafayette (0-4) returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Fairleigh Dickinson in a doubleheader at the Leopards newly-renovated Class of 1978 Stadium. The first pitch is slated for noon.