April 16, 2009
Box Score
PHILADELPHIA - Justin Handler extended his career-long hitting streak to 13 games as he had a pair hits, scored twice, and drove in two, but the visiting Penn Quakers took the non-conference game, 12-9, at Hank DeVincent Field, Thursday.
Handler is batting a team-best .421 during this stretch - which has raised his overall average almost 80 points (.263 to .342) - with 24 hits, 14 runs, 10 RBI and a .561 slugging percentage. The streak is the longest since John Malloy's school record 24 gamer in 2007.
La Salle trailed 2-0 after the top of the first, but rallied to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the frame. Malloy scored the first run after singling, and Handler and Marc Schoch came home on a two-out single by Tony Negrin.
Penn (12-19) responded with a five spot in the top of the second - the big blow was a two-run home run by Derek Vigoa and an RBI single by Will Gordon - his third of the game (he had a two-RBI triple in the first).
But again, the Explorers rallied to take the lead again with their own five-run inning in the bottom of the frame. They sent 10 men to the plate with Jeff Flax bringing one run home, Handler driving in a pair, and Schoch knocking one in with a sac fly.
Chris Umstead then plated one - putting La Salle up 8-7 - with a single, his only hit of the game, but it did extend his career-long hitting streak to 11 straight.
Over the next five frames, each team scored just one run - both in the fifth as Penn tied it up on James Mraz's RBI triple and La Salle taking the lead once again (9-8) with a Brian Meagher RBI single scoring Negrin - who went 3-for-5 with a run and two RBI.
The Quakers took the lead for good with a four-run eighth, as a pair came in on wild pitches and Gordon pushed his RBI total to five on the afternoon with a two-RBI single.
He then went out and pitched his second inning of scoreless relief, which was followed by Chris McNulty throwing a scoreless ninth. Gordon picked up the win and is 1-1 this season, McNulty gets his first save of 2009. Cody Weiss was saddled with the loss and is 1-4.
La Salle (13-18) will next be in action with a three-game Atlantic 10 series at George Washington starting Friday at 4 PM.
