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June 2, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Rutgers Scarlet Knights topped Lafayette 11-10 in an elimination game in the Charlottesville Regional Saturday afternoon at Davenport Field. The game featured five lead changes as the teams combined for 21 runs and 31 hits.
Dave Williams and Frank Meade each had two hits, including a home run each, to lead Rutgers offensively. James Conrad went 4-for-5 and Kevin Leasure went 3-for-5 with 5 RBIs for Lafayette.
Kevin Lillis (2-0) picked up the win for Rutgers in relief. Chris Lillis retired all three batters he faced in the ninth inning to record his fifth save of the season. John Fugett (2-2) took the loss for Lafayette.
The Scarlet Knights (42-20) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Mike Bionde doubled down the left field line with one out. He moved to third on a groundout before scoring on an error by the Lafayette shortstop.
The Leopards (33-20) drew even with a run in the bottom of the first. Chris Luick singled up the middle with one out and moved to second on a balk. He scored on Leasure’s two-out single to right.
Rutgers retook the lead, 2-1, with a run in the top of the third. Todd Frazier led off with a double down the left field line. He advanced to third on a failed pickoff attempt and scored on Ryan Hill’s fielder’s choice when he beat the throw home.
In the bottom of the fifth, Lafayette scored three runs to take its first leadoff the game, 4-2. Jeff Butler drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on Daniel Bierce’s sacrifice bunt. Conrad drove in Butler with his triple to left-center and scored on Luick’s triple to right-center. Mike Raible followed with a single through the right-side of the drawn-in infield that scored Luick.
The Scarlet Knights looked to have a chance for a big rally in the top of the sixth, but settled for just one run. Williams drew a leadoff walk and moved to third on Tom Edwards’ single that put runners on the corners with no outs. Williams scored as Jon Gossard hit into a double play.
Rutgers retook the lead with three runs in the top of the seventh. Meade led off the inning with a double. Luis Feliz laid down a bunt and beat the throw to first for a single. On the play, Meade came around to score the tying run as the throw to first went into right field. Frazier followed with a double to score Feliz with the go-ahead run. After a sacrifice bunt moved Frazier to third, he scored on Hill’s single up the middle to make the score 6-4.
Lafayette answered with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Conrad led off with a single up the middle and with one out Raible was hit by a pitch. They both came around to score to tie the game on Leasure’s double into the right field corner. Tom Hayes’ single to left followed to score Leasure as the Leopards retook the lead, 7-6.
In the top of the eighth, the Scarlet Knights retook the lead, 11-7. Tim Querns walked to lead off the inning and scored as Meade followed with a two-run homer into the left field bleachers. Feliz singled up the middle and moved to third on a pair of groundouts. He came in to score on Hill’s double to make the score 9-7. Williams followed with a two-run home run to left center to increase the advantage to 11-7.
The Leopards got one run back in the bottom of the eighth as Dave Drechsel led off the inning with a home run to left to cut the Rutgers lead to 11-8.
In the bottom of the ninth, Lafayette’s rally fell just short, scoring two runs. Raible led off with a single and Leasure followed with a two-run home run to right to cut the lead to 11-10.
The Charlottesville Regional will continue Sunday with a pair of games. The Scarlet Knights will meet the loser of Saturday’s Virginia-Oregon State game at 1 p.m. The winner of that game will play the Virginia-Oregon State winner at 6 p.m.
Fans planning on attending Sunday’s games are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by calling the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 800-542-UVA1 (8821) or 434-924-UVA1 (8821). Single-game reserved tickets are $12, while general admission seats are $8. All seating in the grandstand is reserved. General admission seating is on the left field hillside and in the bleachers beyond the left field fence. Fans are also advised to arrive early to avoid congestion in the area parking lots. Gates will open one hour prior to the start of each contest.