Box Score
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PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle baseball team made it a clean sweep on Sunday afternoon at Hank DeVincent Field, downing UMass by a score of 6-2 to improve its Atlantic 10 record to 11-4 on the season. Sophomore Justin Korenblatt (1-4, 3 RBI) whacked a bases-clearing, three RBI double in the fifth give the Blue and Gold pitching staff all the insurance it needed to secure the victory.

The Explorers have now won six consecutive ballgames to improve their record to 18-19 (11-4 A-10) on the season while the Minutemen slipped to 9-20 (3-9 A-10).

The first four and a half innings of the game breezed by before the La Salle offense ignited in the fifth inning. Sophomore Ryan Welling (0-3) and junior George Smith, Jr. (0-2, BB, run) worked back-to-back walks before freshman Collin McGowan (2-3, run) knocked a single into center but Welling was thrown out at the plate for the second out of the inning. Senior Dan Klem (1-3, run) was hit by a pitch to load the bases, followed by back-to-back walks from sophomore Kevin Baron (0-2, 2 BB, RBI, run) and sophomore Kevin Conroy (0-2, BB, RBI, run) for a 2-0 La Salle lead.

After finding himself in a 1-2 hole, Korenblatt smashed a double into the left center gap to clear the bases and open up a 5-0 Explorer lead. The Korenblatt double chased UMass starter Conor LeBlanc (4.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 2 K) out of the game. LeBlanc's season record dipped to 0-4 on the year with the loss.

La Salle starting pitcher Shane Hollman worked five scoreless innings and stranded eight Minutemen on base in the effort. He struck out two, walked two, and hit four batters in his third victory of the season.

UMass pushed a run across in the seventh off sophomore Adam Cherry (1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K) before senior Pat Christensen saved the day with a three-pitch strikeout to leave the bases loaded in the frame. Christensen earned his eighth save of the year, working 2.1 innings blemished by only one unearned run. He struck out four and walked one.

The Minutemen out hit the La Salle 6-5 on the day, but stranded 13 baserunners while the Explorers stranded only four.

The Explorers will travel to University Park, Pa. on Tuesday for a 6:05 p.m. start time vs. Penn State. They will resume their conference schedule on Friday at 3 p.m. when VCU visits for the first of a three game set.