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PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle baseball team overcame a 6-2 deficit to defeat the Wagner Seahawks, 8-7, at Hank DeVincent Field on Friday afternoon. Senior Dan Klem drove in four runs on three hits and scored two more to raise his season average to .412. The third baseman is 10-for-22 (.455) over his last six games.

Freshman Joey Ravert raised his average to .341 behind a 3-for-5 day at the plate. The first baseman extended his hitting streak to four games, going 10-for-15 (.667) in that span. Senior Pat Christensen (2-1) threw 2.1 scoreless innings in relief to earn the win.

Wagner's Dakota Dvorak (0-1) took the loss as the Seahawks slipped to 2-10 on the year. The Explorers improved to 3-11.

Klem led off the bottom of the first with a double down the left field line and touched home on a Ravert double. Klem knocked in Ryan Welling in the bottom of the second, who singled to lead off the frame, to take an early 2-0 lead.

Senior Ryan Donohue (6 IP, 2 ER), who started the game for the Explorers, walked Jason Gordon, Wagner's leadoff hitter in the third but proceeded to retire the next two. He induced weak grounder to short but Kevin Baron booted it away, leaving runners on first and second.

The Seahawks capitalized on the mistake and proceeded to paste five unearned runs on the scoreboard and added one more in the sixth to lengthen their lead to 6-2.

La Salle countered in the bottom of the seventh with a five-spot of their own to take the lead back, 7-6.

Justin Korenblatt, Welling, and Bobby Schuman opened the frame with back-to-back-to-back singles to load the bases with nobody out. Mark Williams pinch hit for Collin McGowan and picked up an RBI on a hit by pitch. Then Klem found some green down the left field line once again and cleared the bases on a three-run double. After Baron laid down a sac bunt to advance Klem to third, George Smith, Jr. picked up an RBI on a fly ball to left that nearly left the yard.

Wagner's Ian Miller singled to lead off the seventh and Donohue was relieved by Adam Cherry. Miller stole second, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on an RBI groundout to tie the ballgame. After a hit by pitch and a walk, Cherry was replaced by Christensen, who hit Jayson Keel to load the bases before he fanned Ben Ruta with the bases loaded to end the threat.   

Schuman led off the bottom of the eighth with a groundout to short and Brandon Day, who was inserted to play second base, reached on an throwing error by the third baseman. Klem walked and Baron grounded into a fielder's choice to set up a first-and-third with two away. With the go-ahead run on third, Smith, Jr. fanned on a breaking ball in the dirt that got past the catcher, allowing Klem to score from third and Smith, Jr. to safely reach first.

8-7 La Salle.

Christensen closed the door in the ninth, striking out the last two hitters of the game to seal the Blue and Gold victory.

La Salle will take on Chicago State at DeVincent Field on Saturday at 1:30 PM in the second of a seven-game homestand.