Army baseball sweeps Lafayette in Regular Season Finale
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Army West Point baseball team closed out the regular season with a pair of wins over Lafayette on Sunday afternoon, as the Black Knights downed their hosts 8-6 before finishing the day with a 14-12 triumph.
Army (27-21, 18-8 PL) had already locked up the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament heading into the doubleheader, while the Leopards (15-35, 10-15 PL) were narrowly eked out by Holy Cross for the final spot in the postseason field.
Prior to the start of the games, head coach Jim Foster and his staff honored the team's 11-member senior class, which included Cadet manager Nick Ashby, Cam Cerruto, Brian Dawson, Blake Ledoux, Teddy Lepcio, Anthony LoRicco, Carter Macias, Nick Manesis, Hunter Meade, Andre Walden and Tristian Williams.
Army 8, Lafayette 6 (7 inn.)
A four-run first inning was the difference in game one, as the Black Knights held on down the stretch to claim victory. The early scoring was enabled by a pair of Lafayette errors, which proved to be costly in the end as the Leopards nearly overcame the deficit.
Three different Cadets turned in a game-high two hits, as Sam Ruta, Nick Manesis and Derek Berg all achieved the feat. Additionally, Ross Friedrick highlighted the bats with a two-run homer.
Friedrick's long ball and the first-inning four-spot allowed the Cadets to jump out to a 6-1 lead by the end of the third. Lafayette's lone run was scored in the top of the second on a solo shot out to left field and was charged to starting arm Anthony LoRicco.The Leopards drove in a pair of runs on a single and a double in the fourth, reliever Matthew Ronnebaum's first frame of work, to cut the advantage in half at 6-3. In response, Kevin Dubrule drove in Coleson Titus in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single to re-extend the lead.
Lafayette continued to keep the pressure on as the game advanced and scored another two runs in the top of the fifth. After giving up an RBI single, Ronnebaum was relieved by Tanner Gresham who allowed one of the inherited runners to score as the Leopards made it a 7-5 ballgame.Both teams traded additional runs down the stretch, as Titus' fielder's choice plated Berg in the bottom of the fifth before a Cadet error allowed the visiting team to tag up an additional run in the sixth.Ronnebaum (1-1) was credited with the win, while Sean Dennehy, who recorded the final out in the seventh after entering the game to face the tying run, picked up his third save of the year.
Army 14, Lafayette 12
The second game between the sides was a battle of numbers, as the programs combined for 30 hits and six errors. By the end of the second inning in the high-scoring battle, the teams were already knotted up at 5-5 as both starting arms struggled early on.
Following a scoreless third, Lafayette plated a pair of runs in the top of the fourth to take a 7-5 lead. The advantage did not last for long, as the Cadets answered right back with a pair of RBI singles from Dubrule and Friedrick, who put Army back on top at 8-7.At the end of the fifth inning, the teams were once again knotted up as a two-run shot by the Leopards and an RBI double from Dubrule pushed the score to 9-9.
Stephen Graver was effective in relief for Army, as he held the visiting team scoreless through both the sixth and seventh innings, retiring four-straight batters during the stretch. On the other side of the ball, the Black Knights were also unable to score as the teams remained knotted at nine runs apiece.
Once Graver left the game, Trevor Finan kept the momentum going as he faced the minimum when he entered at the start of the eighth.
After a pair of scoreless frames, the Cadets put up a five-spot in the bottom of the inning that allowed the team to take its final lead. Ruta broke the initial tie with a double that drove in Dubrule to put Army ahead at 10-9 before a sac fly and three bases-loaded walks lifted the home team to a 14-9 edge.Teddy Lepcio was initially charged with closing the game out, but he got into trouble after allowing a pair of runs to come in without recording any outs. With the go-ahead run at the plate, Justin Lehman was called out of the bullpen and picked up his first career save using a double play and a swinging strikeout. Finan (1-0) was credited with the victory in the game that saw six lead changes.
Coach's Corner
"It wasn't a pretty weekend, but the guys did a good job getting three out of four [wins this weekend]. I'm really happy for the seniors and that we got to send them off with a win. The last regular season weekend. Now, we have to get ready for the next step, the Patriot League playoffs. We still haven't put it all together yet, but we're working at it. We need guys to get healthy and get through exams. I'm proud of them. They did a great job this regular season and continued to fight and compete." - Head Coach Jim Foster
What's Next
The top-seeded Black Knights will play host to No. 4 Holy Cross in a Patriot League Semifinal series May 14-15 at Johnson Stadium. The two sides will face off in a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, May 14 with a single game set for 1 p.m. on Sunday if needed. All of the action will be carried on ESPN+.
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