March 21, 2008
Box Score
RICHMOND, VA - The La Salle University Baseball team fell behind early, but continued to battle back in its Atlantic 10 Conference game with Richmond Friday afternoon at Pitt Field. However, a four-run eighth by the Spiders was the final nail in the coffin for the Explorers, as they dropped a 15-10 decision.
Richmond took a 4-0 lead after the first inning, but scored two unearned runs after an error should have ended the frame with just two runs crossing the plate.
The Explorers answered with three runs in the second, as John Rickards led off with a single, followed by a TJ Chism double, and Mike Dertouzos walked to load the bases with no one out.
Kevin Jones then hit a sacrifice fly to score one, Brian Meagher scored another with a double to left field, then Zack Feierstein made it 4-3 with a bunt single, which scored Dertouzos.
After the Spiders made it 5-3 with another unearned run in the bottom of the second, La Salle tied it in the top of the third with a pair of runs.
John Malloy, who extended his hitting streak to 12 games, singled to lead off the frame, moved to second on a failed pickoff attempt, and moved to third on a fly out by Rickards.
Chism, who had a team-high three hits in the game, had an RBI single and advanced to third on Dertouzos' double to left field. Jones then drove in his second run of the game with a grounder to short, tying the game at 5-all.
Richmond (10-11-1, 2-0 A-10) then took another four-run lead after the bottom of the third, again scoring one unearned run, to take a 9-5 advantage.
The Explorers would respond with four of their own in the top of the fourth, as Malloy hit a RBI double down the right field line, scoring Rick Gehman, and was followed by Rickards' three-run home run to tie the game at 9-all.
The game did not stay tied for long as the Spiders answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 11-9 lead.
For the next three innings, neither team would put a run across the plate, as La Salle's Shane Frangiosa threw 3.2 innings of scoreless relief with four strike outs, and Kyle Leith, who surrendered Rickards home run, kept the Explorers off the board for the next two innings.
La Salle (4-17, 0-2 A-10) got to within a run at 11-10, pushing a run across the plate on a RBI grounder by Dertouzos. That scored Mike Canfarotta, who came in the game in the fourth and had two hits, in the top of the eighth.
However, what had been the case all game long, the Spiders answered the threat with a four-spot in the bottom of the inning on a pair of two-run home runs to increase its lead to 15-10.
Leith (1-0) won the game for the Spiders, while Joe Vincent (0-1) suffered the loss for the Explorers.
The two teams will complete their three-game series on Saturday with a 1 PM start.
