April 26, 2009
Box Score
PHILADELPHIA – Behind a strong pitching performance from starter Sean Kennedy and key hits from John Malloy, Tony Negrin, and Jon Gyles, La Salle Baseball defeated Massachusetts, 7-3, on Sunday at Hank DeVincent Field to earn the Atlantic 10 series win.
The series win is the second straight for the Explorers and the third in the last four. Sunday’s victory gives La Salle 17 wins, the second-most of any team this decade by this date in the season (2004 – 18).
They also won their 10th home game of 2009, giving them back-to-back seasons with at least 10 wins for the first time as a member of the A-10 Conference (11 in 2008).
Kennedy threw seven innings with three strike outs and he did not walk a single batter. He did allow nine hits and three batters reached via error; however he stranded seven men and gave up just two earned runs.
Massachusetts (15-21, 8-10 A-10) scored the first run of the contest in the third inning when Adam Tempesta singled home Kyle Multner.
The Explorers responded with a three-spot in the bottom of the frame as Malloy drove in two with a bases loaded double to left and Justin Handler hit a sacrifice fly to plate the other.
For Malloy, it was his 17th double of the season, tying him with himself for third-most doubles in a single-season and it was his 43rd career double, which is fifth-most and one shy of fourth. He is just four hits shy of moving into the all-time career hit list (188).
La Salle added another pair in the fourth inning when Negrin hit a two-out dying liner into shallow left which Multner attempted a diving catch on, but he could not make the play.
Kennedy would run into a jam in the sixth, as two singles sandwiched an error and loaded the bases with no outs. However, he got Tom Conley to hit into a double play, which scored an unearned run, and another ground ball ended the threat.
The Minutemen made it a 5-3 game as Tempesta again drove home Multner, who doubled to lead off the seventh, with a sacrifice fly to center.
Drew Gerhart came in for relief in the eighth and with two out, walked Conley and the Minutemen sent up pinch-hitting lefty Mike Gedman.
La Salle answered by going back to its pen and bringing in southpaw TJ Chism who ended the frame with a soft liner back to the mound.
Gyles, who replaced Chism at first base on a double switch, came to the plate with one out and Handler on first. He blasted his first home run of the season over the scoreboard to add a couple insurance runs to the Explorer lead.
Chism closed out the game with a pair of strikeouts and a liner to second to pick up his first career save. Kennedy improved to 4-0 this season with the win, while Jared Freni is now 1-2 with the loss.
La Salle (17-21, 6-11 A-10) has a couple days off before travelling to State College on Wednesday night to face Penn State, with first pitch slated for 6:35 PM.
