AMBLER, PA - Freshman Drew Gerhart scattered four hits and allowed two unearned runs over seven-plus innings and the La Salle offense scored six times in the fifth inning to lift the Explorers to a 9-6 victory over Temple to end the season with the series sweep, Saturday afternoon at Skip Wilson Field.

With the victory, it marks the first sweep of an A-10 series for the Explorers since taking three straight from Saint Joseph's in March of 2003 and its their first A-10 road sweep since April 2001 - at Rhode Island.

La Salle was able to build a nine-run lead before the Owls ever got on the board. They scored one run in the third, a RBI double by Bill Kern, and one in the fourth on a RBI double by John Rickards, before the six-run fifth.

All the runs in the frame were unearned and scored with two outs. Key hits during the rally included Justin Handler's bases loaded two-RBI single and John Vincent's bases loaded two-RBI double. The Explorers added another unearned run in the top of the eighth inning to push their lead to 9-0.

Meanwhile, Gerhart (1-4) was cruising, allowing just four hits and one walk in the first seven innings. He set season-highs for innings pitched (7.1) and strikeouts (six) as he won his first collegiate game. However, in the bottom of eighth, he walked two of three batters and the Explorers called for their closer Gerard Breslin, who quickly got the second out of the inning.

Temple (12-41, 6-19 A-10) loaded the bases with a walk and after a fielding error, the floodgates opened. The Owls scored six unearned runs with three straight hits, the key a three-run double by John Coyle.

Breslin then closed the inning with his 61st strikeout of the season, 178th of his career, just four shy of the all-time mark at the school and had no problems in the ninth to end the game and the Explorers' season.

Other notable numbers from the 2006 season include Rich Prall's 67 hits (eighth for a season), 18 doubles (second) and 103 total bases (eighth), and Rickards five triples (tied third).

On the mound, four pitchers combined to add their names to 10 spots on the single season lists, which includes Dan Waters, who had a 2.79 ERA (fifth) in 15 starts (tied first) and struck out 90 batters (second) in 87.0 innings pitched (sixth).

Breslin won five games (tied for ninth) and had five saves (fifth) in 30 appearances (first) and struck out 61 hitters (tied sixth). Jamie Cowan and John Reifsnyder also put their names on the appearance list with 27 (second) and 25 (sixth), respectively.

With the victory, the Explorers capped off one of their most successful seasons ever since joining the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1996.They finished 20-31 overall, which includes a mark of 19-20 after March 11 (they won just one of their first 12 games).

They also went 12-14 in the A-10, the most-ever wins in the conference, and had the second-best ever winning percentage (in 1999, La Salle went 10-11). The Explorers also finished with a 7-5 mark at home in A-10 games (best ever) and had their best-ever overall winning percentage at home (11-8).

In the last three years, La Salle has won 58 games (18 - 2005; 20 - 2004), which also ties the win total from 1997-99 (19, 12, 27), the best-ever three-year span since joining the A-10.