April 27, 2010
Box Score
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - In his first collegiate start, freshman Dan Klem picked up his first collegiate win as four relievers combined for five scoreless frames to help La Salle Baseball pick up its first win over a Big 10 school in more than 13 years as the Explorers defeated Penn State, 3-2, Tuesday night in non-conference action at Medlar Field.
It was the Explorers first win over a Big 10 school since the last time La Salle beat Penn State on March 23, 1997, a 2-0 victory. They had lost the previous five meetings since then, three to the Nittany Lions and two to Michigan State.
Ironically, 20 days before that win over Penn State in 1997, the Blue and Gold defeated the Spartans, 6-5, on March 3.
Tuesday's game was the third straight year the Explorers have played at Penn State, and in the prior two, they scored three runs in each. In tonight's game, they scored that many in the second inning to take a three-run lead.
In that frame, Jon Gyles led off with a single and Jeff Flax bunted for a hit. With one out, Marc Schoch also singled to load the bases, which was followed by a sacrifice fly by Kevin Jones, which allowed all three base runners to move up a base.
With two out, Mike Canfarotta wasted no time, lacing the first pitch he saw from Penn State starter John Walter into center field scoring a pair and giving the Explorers' pitching staff all the run support it needed for the rest of the game.
Klem, who had thrown just 3.2 innings all year entering the night, pitched a career-high four innings and scattered eight hits, while allowing just two runs - a solo home run in the second and a two-out RBI single in the fourth. He was helped in the field by a caught stealing, an outfield assist, and a double play.
With a 3-2 lead, the game was then turned over to the bullpen and over the next five innings, only three Nittany Lions reached base, and no more than one in any one frame.
Eric Van Wyk was the first out of the pen, and despite a one-out single, struck out the side. Cody Weiss threw a perfect sixth with two Ks and Christian Schulz pitched a perfect seventh with one strikeout.
In the eighth, Pat Christensen allowed a harmless two-out single, but in the ninth, Joey DeBernardis led off with an infield hit. He was one of three Nittany Lions with a pair of hits in the game.
Christensen struck out the next two, he had three in the game, and got the final out with a grounder to second to earn his seventh save of 2010, which is tied for third all-time in a single season at La Salle. Klem improved to 1-0 with the victory, while Walter fell to 1-4.
Penn State (17-23) was kept in the game by its bullpen as well, as Calvin Grumley and Mike Pierce combined for five innings, allowing two hits, no runs, but walked five. Meanwhile, the Explorer pitching staff, for the third time this season, did not walk a batter.
La Salle (14-24) now turns its attention to the Atlantic 10 Conference slate, as the Explorers will face Fordham this weekend in the Bronx, starting on Friday at 7 PM.
