May 14, 2009

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Brian Meagher hit a three-run home run - one of three by La Salle Baseball - as the Explorers rallied back from a five-run deficit. However, the Richmond Spiders responded to take the first game of the three-game Atlantic 10 series, 11-9, Thursday afternoon at Hank DeVincent Field.

John Malloy and Chris Umstead each had three hits and drove in a pair, while Tony Negrin also registered three hits and scored three times.

Richmond (21-24, 10-15 A-10) plated a pair of runs in each of the first three innings to build a 6-1 lead, with key hits coming from Billy Barber - a two-RBI triple in the first - and a Cameron Brown two-run homer in the second. 

Malloy hit a solo home run in the first inning - his eighth of the season - to cut the Explorer deficit to 2-1 and Negrin scored a run on a Justin Handler grounder in the third to make it 6-2.

The Spiders Chris Cowell recorded his team's second home run of the game - a solo shot - in the fourth to push its lead back to five.

With two out in the fourth, Meagher then blasted his third round tripper of the year, which was followed by Negrin's first of his career to pull La Salle to within one.

The teams traded single runs in the fifth - the Explorers scoring theirs on Umstead's RBI double plating TJ Chism.

After holding Richmond scoreless in the sixth - the first frame of the game, Malloy would hit his 19th double of the season, the second-most ever in a single season at the school. He scored on an Umstead single to tie the game at 8-all.

However, Richmond put three on the board in the seventh and the Explorers would get one in the ninth - Negrin coming home on a Malloy RBI single - to finish the day's scoring.

Out of the pen, Billy Barber improved to 5-1 with the win, while Brian Alas picked up his eighth save. Christian Schulz dropped to 3-3 with the loss.

La Salle (18-29, 7-17 A-10) will host the Spiders again on Friday with first pitch slated for 3 PM.