May 18, 2007
Box Score
BRONX, NY - In its longest game in more than 10 years, the La Salle University Baseball team fell to the Fordham Rams, 5-4, in Atlantic 10 action at Houlihan Park, Friday, when Danny Leach scored the winning run as he stole home with two outs in the bottom of the 13th inning.
Facing La Salle reliever Dennis Burge, who was in his fourth inning of work, Leach singled with one out in the bottom of the frame. He then stole second before Thursday's hero Eric Reese drew a walk. A day before Reese scored the tying run in the ninth then drove in the game-winning RBI - Leach - in the 10th.
The pair each moved up a base on a grounder to second. Then, on a 2-0 pitch, Leach took off from third and slid home safely, which extended the Rams winning streak to nine straight.
Fordham (32-20, 18-8 A-10) took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Chris Kaible scoring Rich Goulian.
The Explorers tied the game in the top of the fourth when Billy Kern scored an unearned run after singling to open the inning. However, the Rams answered right back with an unearned run of their own - Kaible.
The Rams looked to take control of the game with two more in the bottom of the seventh to take a 4-1 advantage. Three straight singles by Leach, Reese, and Goulian loaded the bases and John Mollicone drove in the first run with a four-pitch walk.
That chased La Salle starter Craig Muschko, who finished the day with 6.0 innings pitched, seven hits, three earned runs and four strikeouts. TJ Chism induced a double play, which scored Reese, but Chism allowed no more damage as he ended the frame with a foul out.
La Salle (17-31, 8-18 A-10) responded with three runs in the top of the eighth to tie the game. John Malloy hit a one-out double to left and scored when Kern followed with a double of his own.
John Rickards and Rich Prall drew back-to-back walks to load the bases and forced Fordham to its bullpen. Ram starter Javier Martinez, who had an almost identical line as Muschko - 7.1 innings, seven hits, three earned runs, seven Ks - gave way to Peter Kennelly.
He uncorked a wild pitch, which plated Kern and moved the other two up a base. Justin Handler then drove in Rickards with a grounder to second, which tied the game at 4-4.
Chism (3 IP) and Burge (3 IP) would combine to hold Fordham scoreless for the next six innings, allowing just two hits in the span. Meanwhile, La Salle would have first and second in three innings (9th, 11th, 12th), but could not get the hit to break the tie.
In the 13th, Burge, who took the loss and is now 4-4, stuck out the first batter for his 40th K of the year. La Salle now has five pitchers with at least 40 strikeouts this season.
This marks the first time doing so since becoming a member of the A-10 (1996) and Kenny Elkind is just two shy of joining the group. Through play of May 13, La Salle was 73rd in the country in strikeouts per nine innings at 7.2.
Fordham's James Sammut earned the win and is now 4-1 this season. He pitched the final four innings and struck out five.
The game is the longest - in terms of innings - for La Salle since a 16-inning affair with Penn, April 2, 1997. It was an 8-7 Explorer win in their first-round game of the Liberty Bell Classic at Veteran's Stadium.
The Explorers have now played six extra inning games in the A-10 this season - by far the most ever in their conference history (three in both 2001 and 2003). They are 1-5 in those games this season.
The seven total extra innings games - La Salle is 1-6 overall - are the most since the 2001 season when they played five that season.
The teams will finish their series and the Explorers will conclude their season with a game Saturday night at 7 PM. The Rams will be looking for the win and at least one loss by Richmond in their doubleheader Saturday with Charlotte - the top seed in next weekend's Atlantic 10 Baseball Championships.
The Rams have already clinch at least the #3 seed, but sit just a half game back of the Spiders and own the tie-breaker after taking two-of-three from them earlier in the season.
