Billy Kern had a team-high four hits on the day.

John Rickards hit a two-run home run in the second inning.

George Hudock knocked in the first two runs of the game.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - Junior Dan Waters struck out a career-high 12 batters and the La Salle University Baseball team finally found some offense as they defeated Delaware State, 14-1, at Hank DeVincent Field Tuesday afternoon.

 

The Explorers sent 12 men to the plate in the first inning and scored seven runs, then added three more in the second inning to take a 10-run lead, which marked the first time this season La Salle reached double digits in scoring.

 

That was more than enough runs needed for La Salle starter Waters, who threw six innings, allowed three hits, two aided by wind, no runs and struck out 12 Hornets, besting his previous career-high of five. And despite allowing base runners in each of the first four innings, Waters and the Explorers held the Hornets off the board for most of the day.

 

In the first, Waters, junior Billy Kern and freshman Justin Handler combined to catch CJ Acker stealing. After Delaware State's Brandon Gravely led off the second with a triple, Waters struck out the next two batters before junior Rich Prall pounced on Waters' pitch in the dirt and tug out Gravely trying to score.

 

Waters struck out the side in the third inning, stranding Justin Bittner at second, who reached with a one-out double. In the fourth, Acker drew a lead-off walk, but the Explorers turned a 5-4-3 double play to again keep the Hornets from threatening.

 

Delaware State (7-13-1) avoided the shutout by plating a run in the eighth inning, assisted by back-to-back Explorer errors, which put runners on second and third. Jim Johnson drove in Joe Danks on a ground ball out for the Hornets only run, an unearned run, of the game.

 

La Salle (2-11) got production from batters 1-9, as each starter had at least one hit and one run scored. Highlighting the day was Kern's 4-for-5 afternoon, sophomore John Rickards, who hit a two-run home run, sophomore Mike Dertouzos, who was 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBI, and senior George Hudock, who knocked in the game's first two runs with a bases loaded single.

 

The Explorer bullpen also pitched well, allowing no hits and just the one unearned run in three innings of relief. Sophomore Dennis Burge pitched two innings and recorded two strikeouts and classmate Jamie Cowan worked a scoreless ninth.