PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle baseball team jumped out to an early 5-0 lead but couldn't hang on to it on an otherwise sunny day at Hank DeVincent Field on Sunday. The Wildcats clawed back and ultimately gave the Explorers the home loss, 8-7.

Niko Jenkins, who drew the start at shortstop, drove in the first three runs of the game. In the second inning, his double down the left field line advanced Zach Wright and Connor Hinchliffe across the plate. Two innings later, Jenkins' squeeze bunt to score Brian Tagoe made it 3-0. 

Later in the inning, Rafael Amanau hit a double to right center field. On the play, a Davidson error allowed Hinchliffe to score. In the next at bat, Jenkins scored on a wild pitch to make the score 5-0.

The Wildcats scored twice in the fifth, but La Salle had answers in the bottom of the inning. Another error on Davidson allowed Chase Arnold to round the bases and get one back.

Davidson scored the next six runs, including five in the seventh, to take the lead.

Trailing by two heading into the bottom of the ninth, Dylan Evans' ground ball scored Zach Wright but the Explorers would fall just one run shy of the win.

Kevin McGowan went 2-for-2 with three walks. Ben Faso was 2-for-5. Wright had two hits in four at bats and scored two runs. Jenkins finished 2-for-5 with three RBI's and a run scored.

Last week's Big 5 Pitcher of the Week, CJ Pruitt, drew the start and lasted 6.1 innings, striking out four.

La Salle will have a day of rest before getting back to action on Tuesday when the Explorers travel to Lehigh at 3:00 PM.