AMHERST – The La Salle baseball team rallied for a 5-3 win over Massachusetts in the second game of a DH after falling 8-3 in the opener at Earl Lorden Field on Saturday afternoon. The first game was a continuation of Friday's suspended game.

Jared Melone and Brian Tagoe each had four hits between the two games while Jorge Jimenez, CJ Pruitt, Ryan Wanner and Tom Fazzini combined for four innings without an earned run out of the pen in the second game.  

GAME ONE
The Explorers scored three runs in the 4^th to take a 3-0 lead while Joey Ravert held the Minutemen scoreless through the first three frames. Connor Hinchliffe reached on an error to start the inning and moved to second on a Tagoe sacrifice bunt.

Collin McGowan plated Hinchliffe with an RBI single and later scored on an RBI single by Melone. After stealing second, Melone scored to make it 3-0 on a Kevin McGowan RBI single.

UMass loaded the bases with one out in the 4^th before the game was suspended due to rain, and the Minutemen cashed in to tie the game when play resumed on Saturday. Billy Worswick (L, 1-2) allowed two unearned runs in the 5^th to get saddled with the loss.

UMass added two more in the 6^th and an insurance run in the 8^th while La Salle sputtered offensively against Justin Lasko (W, 3-1), who tossed five shutout innings on Saturday.

GAME TWO
Joe Monzo ripped a two-run double with one out in the 8^th inning to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead for the Explorers. La Salle added an insurance run in the 9^th and Fazzini (S, 7) recorded the final three outs to earn the save.  

La Salle's bullpen was fantastic, not allowing an earned run following starter Jordan Meyer's departure after five innings. Meyer held UMass to one run although the Minutemen took a 3-2 lead after a La Salle error in the 6^th led to a pair of unearned runs against Jimenez.

After taking the lead in the 8^th, the Explorers made it a two-run game with back-to-back singles in the 9^th by Tagoe and Derek Prucnal. Tagoe eventually scored on the throw as Prucnal was caught stealing to end the inning.  

Pruitt (W, 1-0) got the final out in the 6^th and tossed a scoreless 7^th before Wanner held UMass at bay in the 8^th.

La Salle got on the board in the 3^rd when Tagoe singled in Brett Simon and Yan Carlo Rivera came in on an error on the play.

The Explorers look for a series-clinching win in the finale tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.