May 5, 2007

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle University Baseball team dropped a 5-4 decision to the visiting Dayton Flyers Saturday afternoon in Atlantic 10 action at Hank DeVincent Field after Jeff Mercer broke up the tie game with a solo home run in the top of the 12th.

For the Flyers, it was their third 12-inning game of the season and they are 3-0 in those contests and 4-2 overall in extra inning games this season, while the Explorers drop to 1-3 in extra innings in 2007.

With one out in the 12th, Mercer faced La Salle's Dennis Burge, who has been mostly lights out in relief appearances. Entering the game, he had a 1.36 ERA in 33 innings with 24 strikeouts and had allowed just five earned runs - however four of them were as a result of home runs, two solo shots and a two-run home run.

Mercer gave the Flyers the lead with his ninth home run of the season - seventh in A-10 games, which is tied for the conference lead. 

In the bottom of the frame, Dayton's Alex Dye, who had already thrown three innings of scoreless baseball, was looking to pick up his first win of the year while pitching a season-high in innings - he had previously thrown three innings on three separate occasions.

Davis Hewett led off with a single to center and moved to second on Burge's sacrifice bunt. However, two straight ground outs to second gave the Flyers the win and improved Dye's record to 1-1. Burge suffered his first loss since April 21, 2006 and is now 4-1 this season - he had won six straight decisions.

Just like in the first game, it did not take long for La Salle to score in the second game of the series, as John Malloy, who was held hitless in Friday's game for only the second time in his career, tripled to centerfield to lead off the bottom of the first. He scored when John Rickards doubled down the left-field line.

Both teams added a run in the fourth. With one out, Dayton used back-to-back walks followed by back-to-back singles, the last by Frank Tedesco to score Joe McSoley, to tie the game and still had the bases full. However, La Salle starter Craig Muschko got out of the jam with a 543 double play.

Hewett led off the bottom of the frame with a double to left-center field, moved to third on a Burge groundball and scored on Justin Handler's third RBI of the series.

Rickards put the Explorers up 4-1 with a two-RBI triple to left-center field in the fifth inning, scoring both Malloy and Billy Kern, who both reached base with singles. However, with no outs, the Explorers could not drive in Rickards, and proved costly in the final outcome.

Dayton (18-27, 7-13 A-10) would not go away, as the Flyers tied the score at 4-all with three in the top of the seventh. Shawn Gizynski was hit by a pitch to start off the inning and moved to third on Tedesco's double to left center. Cole Tyrell knocked in the pair with a double down the right-field line, which chased Muschko.

In relief, TJ Chism unleashed a wild pitch which moved Tyrell to third and he scored on Michael Massa's groundout. But after that, Chism and closer Gerard Breslin kept the Flyers off the scoreboard for four innings. They each posted three strikeouts in their time on the mound.

Meanwhile, Dayton starter Quinn Haselhorst, who went eight innings, and Dye held La Salle scoreless for the last seven innings of the contest, while the Explorers left eight men on base during that span.

For the Explorers, Malloy, Kern, Rickards and Handler all had three hits, while Rickards knocked in three of La Salle's four runs.

La Salle (15-25, 7-13 A-10) and Dayton will complete the three-game series Sunday at 12 PM. Before the game, the Explorers will honor their five departing seniors.