Community
The 18th Annual Liberty Bell Classic will have no winner in 2009 due to inclement weather.
After postponing the title game twice due to weather, the University of Villanova Wildcats began play against the University of Delaware Blue Hens on May 6. Rain stopped the game in the top of the 4th inning, with one out and the score knotted at 6.
After consultation with the coaches, and due to their school schedules, both teams made the decision that the game could not be resumed.
In a rematch of the 2007 title game, defending champions the Lafayette College Leopards emerged victorious defeating the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks 5-4. In the top of the first, Lafayette loaded the bases on three straight singles and an error by Lehigh's shortstop allowed the Leopards to push across their first run. But Lehigh would even the score in their half of the 1st and after giving up a second run to Lafayette in the top of the 2nd, would add three more in the bottom of the inning on a walk and four hits making the score 4-2. Lafayette would battle back with a run in the 7th courtesy of Chris Luick's RBI triple and would take the lead for good in the 8th as leadoff hitter Nick Turner walked and reached third on an error putting two men on base with no outs. A single by Justin Shepherd and an RBI groundout by Ryan Roberts would push across the tying and winning runs.
Lafayette College defeated the University of Pennsylvania 6-5 and the University of Delaware 9-4 en route to their second straight title. Lehigh reached the final with a 3-2 victory over Villanova University and a 10-8 win in a slugfest with LaSalle University.
After a disappointing loss in the 2006 Liberty Bell Championships, the Lafayette College Leopards tasted victory tonight with at 7-3 victory over the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks.
Lafayette's bats were hot right out of the chute. After Jeff Butler was hit by a pitch and Mike Raible singled, the table was set for Nick Benvenuto who doubled to drive in two. Dave Drechsel stepped to the plate and slammed a pitch from Billy Alec into the left field foul poll for a home run.
They added two security runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to extend their lead to 7-1. But the first inning runs would prove all that the Leopards would need to secure victory thanks to a strong pitching performance by Brian Cope who gave up only three hits and one run in five innings while
striking out three.
Lehigh was able to string together a walk and three hits to help push two runs across the plate in the top of the ninth but after seeing victory slip away in the ninth inning in 2006, the Leopards refused to let it happen again recording the final out on a routine ground ball to shortstop Dan Bierce who threw to first baseman Chris Luick to secure the title for the first time in school history.
In first round action Lafayette easily defeated St. Joseph's University 11-5 and put away The University of Pennsylvania 10-2 putting them back into the championship for the second straight year.
On the other side of the bracket, Lehigh University scorched Temple 14-4 and then narrowly defeated defending champions LaSalle 3-2 to reach the title game.
The LaSalle University Explorers claimed their first Liberty Bell Classic Championship with a dramatic win over the Leopards of Lafayette College. Trailing, 5-3, in the bottom of the ninth inning, LaSalle's Justin Handler led off with a sharp single that careened off of pitcher John Fewget who then threw the ball away allowing Handler to move to second on the error. Following a walk, Dennis Burge scorched a double into the gap to score the tying runs. Burge advanced to third on a bunt single and then scored the winning run on Rich Prall's base hit up the middle.
In first round action, Lafayette posted a 3-0 win over St. Joseph's University behind a three-hit shutout by Kevin Reese and then prevailed in a 12-10 semi-final slugfest against defending champion Villanova University.
On the other side of the bracket, LaSalle survived a close first round game against Temple University, 5-4, and then handily defeated the University of Delaware Blue Hens, 7-2, to reach the title game.
The Liberty Bell Classic was conceived in 1992 as a way for local Division I colleges to compete against each other in a tournament as well as an opportunity for the schools to play on the big league field of Veterans Stadium. The original eight schools were the University of Pennsylvania, University of Delaware, Saint Joseph's, Drexel, Villanova, Temple, West Chester, and LaSalle Universities. In the first championship game, the University of Delaware defeated Villanova University 6-2.
When West Chester University was reclassified as Division II, it was replaced by Rider University and Rider was then in turn replaced by Lehigh University. When Drexel's baseball program was dissolved after the 2003 season, Lafayette University joined the Liberty Bell Classic.
Originally all games were played at Veterans Stadium, but in 2004 games were played at local venues with the championship game being held at Citizens Bank Park. The first championship at Citizens Bank Park was claimed by Lehigh University as they defeated Villanova University 11-3.
For more information, e-mail fandev@phillies.com or call 215.463.1000.
