Box Score

AMHERST, Mass. – For the third straight day, the Massachusetts baseball team scored in its final at-bat to complete the series sweep of La Salle with a 2-1 win on Saturday. The Minutemen scored an unearned run in the ninth to steal the win.

Seniors Jon Gyles and Jeff Flax each had a pair of hits for La Salle while junior Ryan Donahue started and pitched the first five innings, allowing one earned run and striking out seven.

With the game tied at 1-1 in the ninth, sophomore southpaw Dominic Sgroi got the lead-off batter to pop-up. Rich Graef, the hero in yesterday's game with a 10^th inning walk-off single, did the same with one out.

He then stole second and scored when the throw got into centerfield. The play handed Sgroi (1-3) the loss, despite not allowing an earned run in 2.1 innings of relief. He walked two and struck out two.

La Salle's last three losses have all come by one run. In fact, all six of the Explorers (15-16, 3-6 A-10) losses in Atlantic 10 play have been by one or two runs.

Donahue made his first start in conference action and allowed just a fourth inning run to the Minutemen. He scattered five hits and walked two.

The Blue and Gold tied the game in the sixth. Senior Brendan Norton singled and moved to third on a failed pick off attempt. After a groundout, Flax singled him home to tie the game at 1-1.

The Explorers loaded the bases in the eighth but could not drive in the go-ahead run.

Joe Popielarcyk threw eight innings without allowing an earned run, while striking out six for UMass (9-10, 5-1 A-10). Leif Sorenson (2-2) picked up the win in relief with a scoreless ninth.

La Salle will visit Penn on Wednesday at 3 PM.