Baseball Splits Doubleheader at Lafayette

Saturday, April 16

Easton, PA

12 PM

Army West Point

16-16, 0

Lafayette

11-25, 0

Army

Lafayette

Photo by: Carly Mackler

Baseball Splits Doubleheader at Lafayette

April 16, 2022 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

EASTON, Pa. – The Army West Point baseball team split a pair of games against Lafayette on Saturday afternoon at Kamine Stadium, securing a 5-3 win in extra innings before dropping an 8-4 result.

Army 5, Lafayette 3 (9 inn.)
The Black Knights (16-17, 9-4 PL) scored a pair of runs in the top of the ninth to take down the Leopards (12-25, 8-6 PL) in the first game of the afternoon, collecting their first extra-inning win of the year.

Kevin Dubrule was the catalyst for the team's final push, roping an RBI double that scored Carter Macias before coming in on Nick Manesis' sac fly. His 3-for-5 performance, which was highlighted by a pair of RBI, helped the Cadets pick up their third-straight win.

Though Army was first to score, doing so in the top of the second when Hunter Meade drove in Cam Cerruto with an RBI single, the team was unable to hold onto its early lead. The Leopards, who began the game with three scoreless innings, put up a trio of runs between the fourth and fifth on a sac fly and a two-RBI homer to claim a 3-1 advantage.

Eventually, the Black Knights responded to the push in the top of the seventh when Dubrule's RBI single cut the lead down to one run. A Lafayette arm then threw a wild pitch, which allowed the tying run to come in as Macias crossed home plate and knotted up the score at 3-3.

After the three-run push in the middle of the game, starting arm Connelly Early settled back in. He tossed a scoreless sixth before handing the ball over to Tanner Gresham at the start of the seventh. Early finished his day with six strikeouts through his 6.0-inning start and was tagged with all three of the Leopards' runs. In the backend of the game, Gresham (1-1) held the home team's offense in check and was eventually credited with his first win of the season.

Lafayette 8, Army 4
A six-spot in the third inning was the difference in the second game, as the home team's early scoring lifted the Leopards to victory.

Army was never able to lead in the second contest of the doubleheader, as the closest that the Cadets got was a 2-2 tie in the top of the second.

Over the opening three innings, Lafayette's offense exploded. After a two-RBI homer put the Leopards on the board in the bottom of the first, the Black Knights answered in the top of the second when a pair of singles from Dubrule and Meade tied things up.

Unfortunately, the tie was the closest that the team got as the fateful third-inning push put the win out of reach for the Cadets. Lafayette used a slew of RBI singles, a throwing error and an RBI groundout to take an 8-2 lead, tagging all six runs to starting arm Robbie Buecker.

The Leopards threatened to do further damage during their scoring spree, but Steven Graver relieved Buecker with two outs on the board and took a batter down on strikes to end the frame. The reliever went on to retire 11-straight Leopards while stifling Lafayette's bats over the next few innings.

The Black Knights attempted to chip away at the lead in the middle of the outing, using a single from Manesis to send in Dubrule in the fifth before adding another run in the sixth when Blake Ledoux contributed a sac fly. Both sides struggled to get anything going down the stretch, as Army failed to get any runners into scoring position and Graver ended his day by sitting down another three-consecutive Leopards. Buecker was tagged with the loss, moving him to 0-3 on the year.

What's Next
Both teams will return to Kamine Stadium for a 1 p.m. rubber match on Sunday, April 17. The series finale between Army and Lafayette will be streamed on ESPN+.

Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point Baseball, follow the Black Knights on Twitter and Instagram at @ArmyWP_Baseball and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.