March 13, 2007

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle University Baseball team scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to register a 9-8 come-from-behind victory over the visiting Villanova Wildcats Tuesday in non-conference action at Hank DeVincent Field.

Trailing 8-4 entering the frame, senior Rich Prall led off with a double to left-center, then freshman Davis Hewett drew a walk. After the first out of the inning, sophomore RJ Hollinshead was hit by a pitch and junior Mike Dertouzos drew another walk, plating Prall.

Villanova turned to its closer Gus Guide, who has already saved two games this season out of the pen. He struck out the first batter he faced for the second out of the inning, but Hewett scored and the other base runners moved up a base on a passed ball in that at-bat.

Freshman Brian Meagher then hit a hard shot to the third baseman, who could not recover, which scored Hollinshead to cut the Wildcat lead to just one at 8-7 and put runners at the corners. Classmate John Malloy then ended the game with a double to left-center to drive in both the tying and game winning runs, which also ended the Explorers four-game losing streak.

Guide suffered the loss, to drop his record to 1-2, while senior Gerard Breslin picked up the win out of the pen. He was La Salle's sixth pitcher in the game and worked the final two innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three.

Junior Craig Muschko started the game for La Salle, his first start since 2005, and threw three innings of scoreless ball and struck out four batters.

The Explorers gave him a lead as they opened the game by plating two runs in the first. It had been seven games since they had scored a first-inning, and were 4-1 in Florida when they did - they are now 5-1 in those contests. Malloy led off the game with a double to left field, then advanced to third when Prall hit a liner to centerfield, which was misplayed, and Prall ended up on second.

Freshman TJ Chism knocked in Malloy with an RBI-single up the middle, then Prall scored on a balk by Villanova starter Josh Eidell, giving La Salle a 2-0 lead. In the third, the Explorers increased their lead to three when Chism drove in another run with a triple, plating Prall.

Despite giving up three runs in the first three innings, Eidell struck out the side in the first, punched out two in the second, then after the Wildcats took a 5-3 advantage in the fourth, struck out two more in a perfect fourth. In all, he went five innings, struck out eight and left with a 6-3 lead.

Villanova (8-6) took the lead with five runs in the fourth, as they sent 11 batters to the plate and ended the frame with the bases loaded. Tim Poydenis drew a two-out walk, then Joe Cotter double to put runners on second and third. Ryan Arcadia then hit a two-RBI single, which was followed by another walk and a single to load the bases.

An error plated two more runs, before Matt McFolling drove in the fifth run in with an RBI single. Then the Wildcats scored another one in the fifth inning to take a three-run lead.

La Salle (6-8) cut the deficit back to a run in the bottom of the sixth, on a bases loaded walk by Brian Meagher, but the Explorers could get any more home, leaving the bases full; something they did again in the seventh as well. However, when they bags were full in the ninth, La Salle came up with the hits that won the game.

The Explorers are now off for three days before they host Stony Brook in a pair of doubleheaders at Hank DeVincent Field. This is a schedule change and La Salle will now host both days - Saturday at 12:30 pm and Sunday starting at 12:00 pm - which will be one nine-inning game followed by a seven-inning game both days.