April 14, 2007
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
NORRISTOWN, PA - The La Salle University Baseball team dropped the first game of the schedule doubleheader with Saint Joseph's, 14-1, but responded with a 4-3 come-from-behind victory in the second game to win the Atlantic 10 series against the Hawks at Latshaw-McCarthy Field, Saturday.
Nothing went the Explorers way in the first game, as the Hawks scored six first-inning runs, then added six more in the seventh as they rolled to the win in game one.
Kenny Elkind suffered the loss on the mound for La Salle and is now 1-4 for the season. John Rickards had a pair of hits - briefly raising his batting average to .400 for the season - while Mike Dertouzos knocked in the Explorers' lone run.
In the second game, La Salle jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning as Brian Meagher knocked in a pair of Explorers - RJ Hollinshead and Billy Kern - with a two out single to right center.
Craig Muschko pitched six strong innings for La Salle while striking out five Hawks. The only trouble he ran into was in the fourth, when the Hawks plated three runs - but just one was earned.
Saint Joseph's (6-25, 3-9 A-10) hit back-to-back one out doubles to put its first run on the board, then with two out, a fielding error allowed to Hawks to score and put them up 3-2.
The Explorers tied the score in the seventh, as TJ Chism scored after leading off the frame with a double and then took the lead on Rickards RBI grounder scoring Justin Handler.
Dennis Burge pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth for La Salle without any incident, but ran into trouble in the ninth - allowing a walk and a one-out single to put runners on first and second.
Gerard Breslin came in for relief and got the first batter he faced with a strike out and closed the game with a foul out to the catcher. He notched his sixth save of this season, 26th of his career.
Burge picked up the win and is 4-0 this season, and has now won six straight decisions dating back to last year. In 2007 out of the pen, he has appeared in nine games, thrown 23 1/3 innings, and is 3-0 with a 0.77 ERA.
La Salle (13-17, 5-7) returns to action Tuesday, travelling to Villanova for a 3 PM game and will then go to Massachusetts next weekend for conference play.
