April 23, 2011

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA, PA - Trailing 7-5 in the eighth inning, Eric Kammler had a clutch three-run triple to spark La Salle to a 9-7 sweep-clinching victory over George Washington on a soggy Saturday afternoon at Hank DeVincent Field.

"I was just trying to hit it in the gap and stay through it," said Kammler.n"It worked out that I was able to hit it in the gap and clear the bases."

Kammler finished the game 1-for-4 with three RBI.

The Explorers (23-15, 10-5) are one of two teams in the Atlantic 10 that have reached double-digit conference victories, joining first-place Charlotte who upended Fordham earlier on Saturday. La Salle is a half game back of the 49ers for the top spot in the Atlantic 10 standings.

"Today's game was a heck of a battle from both teams," said head coach Mike Lake.

The Colonials (10-30, 3-9) scored five runs in the first four innings of La Salle starter Cody Weiss, who earned a no decision.

The Explorers' offense came in bunches, with three runs in the second, two in the fifth and four in the eighth. In the home half of the second inning, back-to-back RBI doubles by Jon Gyles and Joe Bennie helped the Explorers take a 3-2 lead.

Trailing by two runs in the fifth, Marc Schoch hit a two-run blast over the left field wall to tie the game at 5-5. Schoch had two hits in the contest, and finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI.

After GW took a 7-5 lead in the top of the eighth, La Salle wasted little time to retake the lead in the bottom half of the frame, loading the bases with nobody out and setting the stage for Kammler's clutch bases-clearing hit.

"Today was one of our better days offensively, and that certainly helped us," said Lake.

With a two-run lead in the ninth, Lake turned to his lights-out closer, Pat Christensen who recorded another perfect inning to earn his 11th save of the season.

The save matched Christensen's all-time La Salle single-season record that he set last season and has now posted 22 career saves in less than two seasons as the Explorer closer.

La Salle will enjoy a two-day break for the Easter holiday before starting an eight-game road trip next Tuesday in State College against Penn State.