March 29, 2011
Box Score
Photo Gallery
PHILADELPHIA, PA - The La Salle baseball team scored five runs in the first three innings and held on late to earn a 6-4 victory over Penn at Meiklejohn Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
The win snaps a mini two-game slide for the Explorers, who will take on Villanova on April 5 in the second round of the 2011 Liberty Bell Classic.
"We did what we had to do offensively to win, and our pitching and defense did the rest," said head coach Mike Lake. "We still have to improve on offense."
The Explorers (14-10) got of to a great start in the first inning with a two-out rally started by Jeff Flax.
The second baseman's hit was the first of three-straight two-out singles, the final one by Marc Schoch that plated Flax and gave La Salle the 1-0 edge.
Flax went 2-for-5 with a run in the game and extended his hitting streak to a remarkable 21 games.
La Salle wasn't through offensively, adding three more runs in the second inning sparked by a pair of doubles from Zach Feierstein and Joe Bennie.
Bennie would provide most of the offensive spark for the Explorers throughout the rest of the contest, knocking in a run via a sac fly in the third, and adding a much needed insurance run in the eighth with an opposite-field solo home run to stretch La Salle's lead to 6-4.
The shortstop finished the day 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBI. The home run was Bennie's first of the season and second of his career.
"It's been my new approach to try to go the other way," said Bennie.
On the mound, Shane Petrellis got the start and lasted just 3.2 innings before giving way to a very effective La Salle bullpen.
Dominic Sgroi earned the win and got out of a couple of tight jams in the fourth and fifth. Kevin Christy followed and pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief with a walk and two strikeouts.
Closer Pat Christensen came on in the eighth and went the final two innings to earn his sixth save of the year.
La Salle will return to the friendly confines of Hank DeVincent Field this weekend when A-10 for Rhode Island visits town for a three-game series. Friday's opener against the Rams is set for 3 p.m.
Check back later for video highlights from the victory over Penn.
