April 11, 2007

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Rich Prall hit a two-run home run and John Rickards had two hits to help lead the La Salle University Baseball team to a 6-3 victory over Penn in non-conference action at Meiklejohn Stadium, Wednesday.

 

After the Explorers had just taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth inning - when RJ Hollinshead scored on a passed ball - Prall homered down the right field line to also plate John Vincent and give La Salle a three-run advantage.

 

The Quakers scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to cut their deficit to two, but an RBI single by John Malloy scoring Hollinshead, again, pushed the Explorer lead back to three and Penn never threatened the rest of the way.

 

La Salle pitcher Jamie Cowan held the Quakers without a hit for three innings to start the game, but did allow the first run of the game in the third.

 

Alex Nwaka led of the frame with a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Steve Gable, took third on a grounder to short and scored when Cowan unleashed a wild pitch, which gave Penn the 1-0 lead.

 

The Explorers answered with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth, when Rickards scored from first on a Davis Hewett RBI double to left field. Hewett then came in to score when - on a steal attempt of third - the throw bounced into left field.

 

Penn (13-14) tied the game in the bottom of the inning with an unearned run when Joey Boaen, who reached base by error, scored on Josh Corn's RBI single to left.

 

That would be the only run Christian Schulz would allow in his two innings of work - his first outing of the season. He struck out a pair of Quakers and picked up the win - the first of his career. Dennis Burge threw a scoreless sixth; TJ Chism allowed just one run in two innings of work, striking out three; and Gerard Breslin worked the ninth, picking up his fourth save of the season, 24th of his career.

 

With the two hits, Rickards raised his batting average to a team-high .390. He also walked twice and now has a .490 on-base percentage. Prall and Hewett also had two hits, while the La Salle pitching staff allowed just five hits and two earned runs.

 

La Salle (10-16) improved to 4-1 against the rest of the city schools this season and will see what they can do at Saint Joseph's this weekend. They take on the Hawks in a three-game Atlantic 10 Conference series starting Friday.