April 15, 2008
Box Score
PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA - The La Salle University Baseball team dropped a 7-5 decision to the Villanova Wildcats Tuesday afternoon in non-conference action at Villanova Ballpark, despite trying another ninth-inning rally.
It is the third loss for the Explorers this season at the hands of Villanova - losing prior games 13-9 (March 12) and 10-9 (April 1) - despite holding leads in each of the contests. In their last game, La Salle rallied with three runs in the ninth to tie the game at 9-all before falling.
They tried to do that again, this time against Villanova's closer Josh Eidell. He got the first two batters on strikeouts, but after Mike Canfarotta reached on an error, three straight singles scored a run and loaded the bases.
Pinch-hitter Derek Barauskas started it with his first collegiate hit, followed by an RBI single by John Malloy, and another single by Justin Handler put runners on every bag. However, Eidell ended the game with a fly out to center to register his fifth save of the year.
The Wildcats put single runs on the board in the first and third innings as Dan Terpak drove in Joe Rosati both times, with a single and then a grounder to second.
John Rickards cut the Explorer deficit in half with his 22nd career home run - tied for eighth all-time - a lead-off blast over the centerfield fence in the fourth. It was the first hit allowed by Wildcat starter Ryan Wendler.
Villanova (16-18) got the lead back to a pair as Matt McFolling doubled to lead off the bottom of the fourth, moved to third on a double-play ball, and scored on a balk.
La Salle took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth, as Malloy singled home Brian Meagher and - during the play - Rick Gehman scored and Malloy advanced to third on an error. Handler then hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Malloy with the go-ahead run.
Explorer starter Christian Schulz walked the first batter in the bottom of the frame, but then got his third double play grounder of the game and a fly out to keep La Salle in front 4-3.
James Dolbier led off the sixth with a solo home run to right field to knot the game at 4-all, which ended Schulz' afternoon. Shane Frangiosa came in for relief and despite allowing two base runners got out of the jam.
However, Terpak put the Wildcats back in front with his third RBI of the day. In the seventh, he hit a two-out solo home run to left field, putting the Wildcats up 5-4. They tacked on two runs in the eighth to add some cushion to their lead.
Wendler went just five innings for the Wildcats, before turning the game over to the bullpen. Bill Hoffman threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts to earn the win and improve to 3-0 this year.
Michael Mayer pitched a scoreless eighth, and Eidell notched the save despite the difficult ninth where he faced the bases loaded jam. Frangiosa suffered his first loss of the season (0-1) after allowing two earned runs in three innings of work.
La Salle (6-28) is back in action Wednesday at Penn with a 3 PM start before returning home for the first time in nine games, hosting Fordham on Friday at 3 PM.
