Feb. 20, 2011

SANTA BARBARA, CA – After rain and poor field conditions washed out the first two days of the 2011 season, La Salle finally hit the diamond on Sunday afternoon and fell victim to a sweep in a doubleheader against UCSB at Caesar Uyesaka Field.

The Explorers (0-2) kept it tight in the opening game and trailed only 4-2 heading into the final three innings of the contest.

Sophomore Dan Klem (Allentown, PA/Parkland) paced the offensive attack in game one going 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Klem’s RBI came in the Explorers half of the third which saw them push across two runs and tie the game at 2-2.

Trailing 5-2 in the top of the eighth, Klem again sparked a rally with a one-out double followed by a Jon Gyles (Doylestown, PA/Central Bucks West) RBI single which brought La Salle within 5-3.

UCSB’s Joey Wallace hit a two-run home run off Explorer reliever Dominic Sgroi (Fallston, MD/Calvert Hall) in the bottom of the eighth to cap off the scoring at 7-3.

In game two, La Salle’s lone run came in the top of the eighth off a Gyles single. The junior holds the early RBI lead on the squad with two.

Sophomore RHP Pat Christensen (La Jolla, CA/La Jolla) was impressive in his return to his home state and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings of relief to finish the second game of the double-dip.

La Salle will return home to the east coast and get the week off before continuing the 2011 season on the road next weekend with a four-game series at Longwood.