March 2, 2008

Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score

ARLINGTON, Va.--The Yale baseball team opened its 2008 campaign with a doubleheader against George Washington at Barcroft Park on Saturday afternoon. Despite taking an early lead in both contests, the Bulldogs (0-2) allowed a big inning in each game, allowing the Colonials (5-0) to sweep the twinbill, 9-8 and 5-3.

Yale jumped out to a 3-0 lead in game one. In the top of the first, Ryan Lavarnway doubled to left, then moved to third on a passed ball. The next batter was Jake Doyle, who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury. Doyle, the team leader in RBIs in 2006, delivered a single to right that gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. Yale increased its lead to 3-0 in the top of the second when Andy Megee roped an RBI double in his first collegiate at-bat, then scored on Josh Cox's single.

The Colonials got one back in the bottom of the second, then erupted for seven runs in the fourth. After George Washington's first three batters all singled, it looked like Yale starter Brandon Josselyn might get out of trouble when he struck out Matt Boyd, then got Sean Rockey to pop up. However, Tom Zebroski singled through the left side to drive in a run and knock Josselyn out of the game. Alex Christ, another Bulldog who missed all of 2006, came in to relieve him and hit Charlie Kruer with a pitch. It again looked like Yale might be able to get out of it allowing just the one run, but consecutive fielding errors by shortstop Gant Elmore allowed two runs to score. Tim Reeves then came up and blasted a three-run double that made it 8-3 George Washington.

The Bulldogs chipped away at the lead, getting another run off Colonials starter Pat Lehman in the top of the fifth. In the sixth, Elmore, Megee and Cox all singled to start the inning. Elmore scored and Megee moved to third when Stefan Schropp grounded into a double play. Lavarnway, who set a school record with 14 home runs last season, then jacked his first long ball of 2008 to pull Yale within 8-7 and chase Lehman.

George Washington added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning when Reeves capped a 3-for-3 game with an RBI double, his fourth RBI of the afternoon. The Bulldogs scored another run in the top of the eighth and had runners at second and third with two outs in the ninth before Jimmy Duggan came in and picked up the save when he got Schropp to fly out.

Yale belted 14 hits as a team, with Cox, Doyle and Megee each collecting three. Megee also scored two runs. Josselyn (0-1) took the loss after giving up five runs (three earned) and five hits while walking two and striking out three in 3.2 innings.

Zebroski and Gavin Swanson each had two hits for the Colonials, while Curtis Eward and Andrew Abokhair each scored twice. Lehman (2-0) allowed seven runs (six earned) and 11 hits while striking out four and walking one in 5.2 innings to earn the win. Ryan Lapointe pitched three innings of three-hit, shutout relief before Duggan came on to get the final out.

In game two, the Bulldogs struck first with two runs in the top of the second. Andrew Moore led off the inning and cranked his first career home run. After Chris Sweeney singled to right, Elmore doubled him home.

After cruising along through two innings, the Colonials got to Yale starter Chris Finneran (0-1) in the third. The first two runners reached base before Zebroski smacked an RBI double. Kruer was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out. The next two Colonials batters hit sacrifice flies to left field, driving in a pair of runs. Brian Hwang capped the rally with an RBI single before Finneran got Swanson to fly to right for the final out of the inning.

George Washington starter Eric Cantrell (1-0) took over from there. Cantrell scattered eight hits in 5.1 innings while allowing just the two runs in the second. He also struck out five and did not walk a batter. Bobby Lucas came on with one out in the sixth and struck out Lavarnway before serving up a gopher ball to Doyle that made it 4-3.

The Colonials picked up an insurance run on a Swanson RBI single in the bottom of the sixth before Lucas retired the Bulldogs in order in the top of the seventh to earn his first save of the year.

Sweeney and Cox each went 2-for-3 in game two for Yale. Finneran went four innings on the mound, giving up four runs and five hits while striking out five and walking two. Reeves capped his perfect afternoon by going 2-for-2 with an RBI for the Colonials.

The series concludes with a single 12 p.m. contest on Sunday. Right-hander Brian Irving will get the ball for the Bulldogs, while lefty Chris Neary will go for George Washington.

Report filed by Joe Clifford, Yale Sports Publicity