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PHILADELPHIA – Sophomore Mark Williams notched career highs in hits (3) and RBI (4) as the La Salle baseball team took down Richmond, 5-3, on Saturday afternoon at Hank DeVincent Field. Senior Pat Christensen threw 2.1 scoreless innings in relief to earn his third victory of the season.

The Explorers improved to 8-14 (3-1 A-10) while the Spiders fell to 16-9 (2-3 A-10).

La Salle was first to score on the afternoon, posting a three-spot in the fourth inning behind a trio of doubles. Sophomore Kevin Baron (2-4, run) led off the frame with a double and was knocked home by sophomore Kevin Conroy's (2-4, RBI, 2 runs) double to right center. Sophomore Justin Korenblatt (1-3, BB, 2 runs) advanced Conroy to third on a single to left to set up a first and third scenario. Williams stepped up to the dish and kept an 0-2 pitch fair down the left field line, plating two to give the Blue and Gold a 3-0 edge.

Richmond answered back with two in the fifth and one in the sixth to tie up the ballgame. Two runs were charged to sophomore starter Shane Hollman's line, who tossed 4.1 innings, striking out four and walking one. A solo homer in the sixth was charged to sophomore Adam Cherry, accounting for his first earned run of the year.

The Spiders threatened again in the seventh, putting two runners aboard with one out. Junior Dominic Sgroi entered the ballgame and retired the lone hitter he faced before handing the ball to Christensen, who extinguished the fire with a strikeout to end the inning.

La Salle's first two hitters went down quietly to lead off the eighth, but Conroy kept the inning alive with a seeing eye single through the left side followed by a Korenblatt walk. After Richmond's Andrew Brocket was called for a balk, Williams smacked a 3-2 offering to left center field, plating two more Explorers in what proved to be the ballgame.

For the game, both the Explorers and Spiders registered nine hits and two free passes. Seven Richmond hitters were retired via the strikeout while La Salle struck out only twice as a team.

With the win, the Blue and Gold evened up the series after dropping Thursday's contest. Junior Shawn O'Neill will toe the slab for the Explorers in the series rubber match against his former team. 

NOTES: Christensen has pitched in seven of La Salle's eight wins this season. He has not been charged with an earned run in any of those seven appearances...Williams extended his hitting streak to seven games on Friday, going 11-for-24 in that stretch. He has pounded out five extra base hits in that span as well...Hollman's ERA has declined by over three full runs over his last two outings...he has given up only two earned runs in his last 10.1 innings and has struck out eight hitters...Conroy picked up his 10th RBI of the season on Friday, good for a club-high...Baron recorded his eighth multi-hit game of the year, tied for a team-high with Korenblatt