March 21, 2007

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PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle University Baseball team, which had not played in seven days, got back into the swing of things with a 3-1 victory over Philadelphia Wednesday in non-conference action at Hank DeVincent Field. Sophomore Justin Handler drove in a pair of runs, while the Explorers' pitching staff combined to allow just four hits and one run in the game.

La Salle, who was also limited to just four hits, scored its first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth without a hit. Freshman Davis Hewett drew a one-out walk, then stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Handler then hit a hard grounder at Ram third baseman Ryan Hayes, which hit him in the chest. However, he was able to recover and get Handler at first, but Hewett scored to give the Explorers a 1-0 lead. 

Philadelphia (4-6) responded with a run of its own in the top of the fifth, when JungMin Lee registered the first hit in the game - a double. He moved to third on a groundball out, then scored on Jason Hartley's sacrifice fly to left field.

The Rams, who used nine pitchers in the game, held La Salle without a hit through four innings as well, but freshman John Malloy smacked a double to left field in the fifth to break-up the no-hitter and extend his hitting streak to 15 games - which has also started the season and passed Billy Kern's 14-gamer from last season, the best in the last five seasons at the school.

That was the only hit for the Explorers until freshman Brian Meagher led off the seventh inning with a double down the left-field line. He advanced to third on Malloy's deep fly ball to center and scored on Kern's sacrifice fly to left.

La Salle (7-8) plated an insurance run in the eighth thanks to a lead-off triple by Hewett followed by another Handler RBI-ground ball, which scored senior John Vincent, who went in as a pinch runner.

Senior Gerard Breslin came into the game and got the final three outs for his third save of the season, 23rd of his career. Junior Jamie Cowan threw the first five innings, allowing just two hits and striking out six, but earned a no decision, while junior Dennis Burge improved to 2-0 this season with the win.