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PHILADELPHIA – "Marathon" would be the best word to describe Saturday's baseball game between La Salle and Saint Louis, a four-hour slugfest that ended in a 9-9 tie at Hank DeVincent Field. The game ended in a tie due to SLU's prearranged travel plans.

Senior day festivities were celebrated pregame, as the five members of La Salle's senior class enjoyed a saccharine tribute prior to their final home game. The quintet composes the third-winningest class in program history.

The Billikens (32-19-1, 18-7-1) wasted no time jumping on La Salle starter Shawn O'Neill, tagging the southpaw for three runs in the first inning, all coming with two outs. The senior settled in after the shaky start, working 5.1 effective innings before exiting the game with a 5-3 lead. He struck out two and walked three while scattering four hits.

A quartet of singles enabled the Explorers to cut the lead to 3-2 in the third. Kevin Baron (1-2, RBI, 2 R) and George Smith Jr (2-5, 2 R) stroked back-to-back knocks to open the frame. Following a Justin Korenblatt (2-5, RBI, 2 R) flyout, Cameron Johnson (2-5, RBI) and Josh Savakinus (2-6, R BI) each ripped singles of their own to bring the Blue & Gold within one.

La Salle took the lead in the fifth, mounting a three-run rally with two outs. JT Crits (1-4, RBI, R), making his second start of the year, smacked a breaking ball into center to score Korenblatt, who singled to lead off the inning. After Dan Callahan (1-3, 2 BB) worked a free pass, Nick Tierno (0-3, RBI, BB) and Baron did the same which gave the Blue & Gold a 5-3 edge.

SLU retook the lead with a three-spot in the top of the seventh but Kevin Conroy (2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R) tied it up again with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the frame. He deposited a fastball over the right center field wall on a line to lock things up at six apiece.

After two more Billiken runs in the top of the eighth, Conroy once again found himself in the middle of the action. The senior stepped to the plate in an 8-8 ballgame on the heels of Baron and Smith Jr crossing home to tie the game once again. Conroy laid down a textbook suicide squeeze, scoring Korenblatt from third and putting the Explorers up 9-8.

The lead was short lived, as SLU rallied for a single run in the ninth to re-tie the game. The Explorers threatened in the ninth, as the potential game-winning run was thrown out at the plate for out number two. The conclusion of the inning marked the end of the game, due to SLU's travel curfew.

The clubs combined for 25 hits while 13 pitchers in all toed the slab on Saturday. It was the first time La Salle tied a ballgame since March 31, 2004 against Villanova (0-0).

The Explorers finish their season 14-34-1, 9-15-1 A-10.

A photo gallery including photos from the Senior Day festivities will be posted early next week.