April 22, 2007
Box Score
AMHERST, MA - In the final game of the three-game Atlantic 10 series with Massachusetts at Earl Lorden Field, Sunday, the La Salle University Baseball team avoided the sweep by limiting costly unearned runs and plating some of its own in a 6-1 victory over the Minutemen.
The Explorers pitching staff was again dominate, as La Salle starter Craig Muschko shutout UMass for six innings. He did not allow a hit until the fourth inning, struck out four, and scattered three total hits as he registered his first win of the year (1-1).
Gerard Breslin worked the last three frames, allowing an unearned run in the seventh, but notched his seventh save of the season with a pair of Ks in his 100th appearance in the Blue and Gold. In all, the La Salle staff allowed just 12 hits in the entire weekend and one earned run. Errors were costly, though, as six of them led to 10 unearned runs.
The Explorers benefited in this game on a Massachusetts' pitching staff unable to find the strike zone. In a four-run third inning, Minuteman starter Jared Freni walked John Malloy with one out, which was followed by a Rich Prall single and John Rickards being hit for the 15th time this season to load the bases.
He then issued back-to-back free passes to TJ Chism and Dennis Burge to plate two runs, then a third runner scored on a balk. Mike Dertouzos chased Freni, who took the loss and is now 1-3, with an RBI single through the left side.
Massachusetts' (11-17, 6-9 A-10) reliever Mike DiCato got out of that jam, but in the fifth allowed another run. Rickards was hit again, and moved to third on a Chism single. One out later, Chism was caught stealing at second, but Rickards scored on the play to push the Explorers lead to 5-0.
Not to be outdone, Justin Handler was hit by a pitch later that inning for the 17th time this season. Entering the week, those two are among the nation's leaders in hit-by-pitch per game average, as Handler was fifth (.57) and Rickards was tied for 11th (.48).
In the sixth, Malloy singled up the middle and has now hit safely in nine straight games, the second longest streak on the team this season to his La Salle record 24-game hitting streak. Prall, Dertouzos, and Billy Kern all had two hits for La Salle (14-20, 6-9 A-10), who also plated another run in the ninth to cushion its lead
The Explorers return to action Tuesday with a game at Delaware starting at 3 PM, before hosting a three-game A-10 series with St. Bonaventure this weekend.
