May 15, 2007
Box Score
JERSEY CITY, NJ - The La Salle University Baseball team ended its four-game losing streak as they pounded out 20 hits and scored 13 runs - both season highs. TJ Chism and John Rickards each had five hits in the 13-7 non-conference victory over St. Peter's, Tuesday, at Jaroschak Field.
Rickards gave La Salle a quick 1-0 lead in the first, belting his team-leading seventh home run of the season. It quickly became a four-run lead an inning later as Kevin Jones hit his first collegiate home run - a three-run shot - in the second.
La Salle (17-29) added two more in the third with four straight singles, the last two were RBI hits by Justin Handler and Chism, which chased Peacock starter Alex Hangland.
St. Peter's (22-27) cut the Explorer lead in half, to 6-3 with three unearned runs in the bottom of the frame. Christian Schulz got the first two outs of the inning, but after a two-out double, an error extended the inning.
Back-to-back doubles by Santo Maertz, which scored two, and Mike McGuire, plating one, made it a three-run game, and then another unearned run in the fourth cut the Explorer lead to 6-4.
An RBI double from Chism in the fifth and a sac fly by Rich Prall in the sixth cushioned the La Salle advantage, but a three-run seventh broke the game open. Chism led off the frame with a home run, then John Malloy launched his first collegiate home run - a two-run shot - to make it 11-4.
Prall added an RBI double, while Chism drove in another with a single to give the Explorers their 13 runs - the most since April 25, 2006 in a 20-13 loss at Delaware.
The Explorers go over the 20-hit plateau for the first time since May 21, 2005, when they had 20 hits in a 14-6 victory at Massachusetts. They last had 21 hits in a game March 20, 2005 in a 17-15 win at Duquesne in 10 innings. The last 21-hit effort in a nine-inning game was April 21, 2003 in a 14-4 victory at Rider.
For Chism, the five hits tie for the season high for an Explorer this season with Rickards (this game) and Malloy (April 13), and the four RBI are a team high for 2007.
Joe Vincent picked up the win for the Explorers, improving his record to 1-1 this season, while Hangland suffered the loss and is now 0-2.
La Salle will conclude its season with a three-game Atlantic 10 series this weekend at Fordham, starting Thursday at 2 PM.
