Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Lafayette
Moore Hits Four Home Runs As Army Sweeps Lafayette
April 26, 2011 | Baseball
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
EASTON, Pa. - Clint Moore went 5-for-9 with four home runs and 11 RBI as the Army baseball team swept a Patriot League doubleheader from Lafayette on a sun-splashed Monday afternoon at Kamine Stadium.
Moore went 2-for-4 with a grand slam and an RBI double to spur Army's 9-0 win in the opener. The Black Knights' shortstop then went 3-for-5 with three home runs and six RBI as the Black Knights took a 12-2 decision in the nightcap.
Army (18-20, 10-6 PL) moves into a tie for first place in the Patriot League standings with Navy (10-6 PL) following today's sweep. The Black Knights actually won three games on this pivotal Monday afternoon as the Black Knights secured an 8-6 (12 innings) verdict in the completion of Sunday's suspended game.
Lafayette (14-23, 8-8 PL) drops into third place in the conference standings with just one league weekend left on the schedule.
Army outscored Lafayette 23-2 during today's action as the Black Knights received quality pitching, timely hitting and stellar defense throughout the afternoon.
"Our pitchers set the tone for us today," said Army head coach Joe Sottolano. "They worked down in the zone all day long against a very strong Lafayette team. The defense played very well throughout the afternoon. I thought our offense really exploded. We came up with key hits, and we were able to extend leads when we have the opportunities. Obviously, it was a good day, but we still want to continue to improve."
Moore went 2-for-4 with five RBI to pace Army in the opener as the Black Knights cruised to the shutout victory. Steve May collected four hits, including two doubles, and Brent Peterson recorded three singles to lead Army's 16-hit attack. David Darnell and Zach Price both recorded two hits apiece as eight of Army's nine starters registered at least one base knock. The Black Knights led 3-0 before putting the game away with a six-run sixth inning.
Moore was 3-for-5 with three round-trippers and six RBI in the nightcap as the Black Knights blew open a 5-2 game with four runs in the seventh inning and three more in the ninth. May, Darnell and Cody Murtle each posted two hits in the second game as the Black Knights outhit the Leopards 13-7 in the contest.
"Clint showed great discipline at the plate today," said Sottolano. "He got some good pitches to handle, and he took advantage of them. Clint has obviously has had a great career for us, and he continues to play well."
Army took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the opening game as Price singled, stole second base and scored on Moore's RBI double.
The Black Knights extended their lead to 3-0 in the second inning as the visitors pushed across a pair of runs. Army used three hits and took advantage of two Lafayette errors in the frame. Darnell produced the big blow in the inning as he ripped a two-out RBI double over the head of LC's center fielder.
The early run support was more than enough for Army starter Chris Rowley (3-3), who was dominant throughout his outing. The Black Knight sophomore retired the first nine Lafayette hitters and did not allow a hit until the fifth inning.
Army blew the game open in the top of the sixth inning as the Black Knights scored six runs on five hits and one Lafayette error to establish a commanding 9-0 lead. Darnell began the uprising as he doubled into the left-center field gap. Price was then hit by a pitch and Ben Koenigsfeld singled to load the bases for Moore, who smashed a grand slam home run over the fence in right field.
Joey Henshaw then reached on an error by the Lafayette second baseman and May doubled down the left field line to chase Leopard starter John Gentile (1-6) from the game. Peterson greeted Lafayette reliever Ben Meer with an RBI single to center field, scoring Henshaw from third base. J.T. Watkins followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring May from third base with the Black Knights' sixth run of the inning.
Rowley gave up just two hits en route to his first career shutout and his second complete game of the season. The native of Duluth, Ga., struck out three and walked two in seven innings of work. He faced just three over the minimum and only threw 70 pitches during his outing.
"The biggest thing today was being able to get ahead and I kept the ball down," said Rowley of his performance. "J.T. Watkins did a great job behind the plate, and our defense made a lot of nice plays behind me. I think the offense, defense and pitching all fed off of one another today. We scored that run in the top of the first inning and I took the mound confident that our offense was going to put up some more runs for us."
Gentile was roughed up for nine runs (eight earned) on 12 hits in five-plus innings.
Army outhit Lafayette 16-2 in the first game. The Black Knights did not commit an error, while the Leopards made four miscues.
After two scoreless frames, Army jumped on top 2-0 in the top of the third inning of the nightcap as the Black Knights scored two runs on two hit and two Lafayette errors. Watkins began the rally as he reached on an error by the Lafayette third baseman. He advanced to second base on Murtle's sacrifice bunt, and scored on Darnell's RBI double. Darnell later took third base on a wild pitch and he came around to score when Price lined an RBI single into left field.
Lafayette sliced Army's lead in half in the bottom of the third inning as the Leopards scratched out an unearned run. With one out, Rob Froio laid down a bunt single and he moved to second base when Black Knight starting pitcher Scott Lucado's throw sailed wide and down the right field line. Then, with two outs, Alex Bechta stroked an RBI single up the middle to score Froio from second and snap Lafayette's 13-inning scoreless streak.
Army extended its lead to 5-1 in the top of the fifth inning as the Black Knights scored three runs on three hits. Murtle and Darnell hit consecutive singles to open the frame, and Price laid down a sacrifice bunt to put two men in scoring position. Koenigsfeld drove home Murtle with a sacrifice fly to right field, making it 3-1, and Moore followed by smashing a two-run home run over the fence in left-center field.
Lafayette got one run back in the bottom half of the fifth to pull to within 5-2. Kevin Casey led off the inning with a single and he moved to third base when Froio doubled down the left field line. Casey then scurried home on Brian Davila's RBI groundout.
Army broke the game open in the top of the seventh inning as the Black Knights scored four runs on four hits. Murtle singled to lead off the frame and he moved to second base on Darnell's sacrifice bunt. Then, after Price walked, Koenigsfeld drilled an RBI single to center field to score Murtle from second. Moore capped Army's four-run uprising when he crushed a three-run home run over the fence in dead center field.
The Black Knights rounded out the scoring in the top of the ninth as Moore and Henshaw smacked back-to-back solo home runs over the fence in left field and Shaun Wixted ripped an RBI single.
Gunnar Carroll (2-1) pitched 4.2 innings of scoreless relief to pick up his second career victory. He allowed just one hit during his outing.
Lafayette starter Connor Ortolf (2-3) took the loss for the Leopards after yielding five runs (four earned) on five hits in 5.0 innings.
Froio had two hits to pace Lafayette in the nightcap. The Leopards only mustered a combined nine hits in the two games.
"It was huge to come out today and pick up three wins against a very good Lafayette team," said Moore. "I thought coming out and winning the suspended game to start the day got us off on the right foot for the rest of the day. The bats came alive and our pitching was unbelievable. It was a great day of baseball.
"I had been a little jumpy at the plate, but things have started have started to slow down, and I was able to put some good wood on the ball today," added Moore. "They left some pitches up and I was able to put some good swings on the ball. There's not a better feeling than knowing that you helped your team win a ball game, so it was a great feeling to contribute in a couple of wins today."
Army will return to action on Wednesday (April 27) when the Black Knights play Marist in the sixth annual Hudson Valley Baseball Classic at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, N.Y. First pitch for the contest is slated for 7:09 p.m.
Game Notes: Army improves to 66-55-2 all-time versus Lafayette ... the Black Knights have taken three out of four games from the Leopards in each of the last four seasons ... Army recorded its third shutout of the season in the opener ... Army equaled its season high with 16 hits in game one ... the Black Knights hit back-to-back home runs for the second time this season ... Clint Moore matched his career high with five RBI in the first game ... he then set a new career high with six RBI in the nightcap ... Moore hit Army's second grand slam of the season ... Moore hit for the home run cycle, as he blasted a solo shot, a two-run homer, a three-run smash and a grand slam ... Moore's 10 home runs this season are tied for fifth most on Army's single-season list ... Moore is the first Army player to hit three home runs in one game since Walker Gorham did it against Lehigh in the 2005 Patriot League Tournament ... Moore is the first Army player to record six RBI in a game since Mike Greco did it against Maryland-Baltimore County in 2008 ... Moore moves into first place on Army's all-time runs scored list with 166 ... Steve May set a career high with four base hits in the opening contest ... May established a career high with two doubles in the first game ... David Darnell equaled his career high with two doubles in the opener ... Ben Koenigsfeld moves into a tie for eighth place on the Academy's single-season saves list (five) ... his seven career saves rank tied for sixth on the Black Knights all-time ledger ... Brent Peterson established a career high with three hits in the first game of today's doubleheader ... Army wore its black jerseys and gray pants with black caps for all of today's action.
