SALISBURY, Md. – The La Salle University baseball team piled up 15 hits and cruised to a 12-1 road win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday. La Salle improved to 4-4 overall with the victory, reaching four wins before March for the first time since 2015.
 
The Explorers and Hawks were tied up, 1-1, after four innings before La Salle picked it up offensively, scoring 11 runs over the next four frames.
 
Junior Ben Faso gave La Salle an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as he drove in senior Austin Constantini on an RBI single. Starting pitcher Jackson Ray held the Hawks scoreless until the fourth, when Eastern Shore tied the game on an RBI single to left by Dominic Deblaise.
 
Then the Explorers' offense went to work in the fifth. Senior Brian Dudeck scored on a throwing error as reigning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week Tommy Toal stole second base, and then Toal later stole third and scored on another throwing error to make it 3-1 La Salle.
 
Senior Chase Arnold added to the advantage in the sixth inning, ripping a double down the left field line to bring home junior Kevin McGowan. In the very next at-bat, Arnold advanced to third on a wild pitch and came in to score on another wild pitch, giving the Explorers a 5-1 lead.
 
La Salle took a commanding 9-1 lead in the seventh inning. First, Constantini scored on an RBI single up the middle by McGowan. Next, sophomore Ryan Guckin smacked his first home run of the season in the very next at-bat to make it 8-1. Dudeck capped off the inning with an RBI triple to right to bring in Arnold for an eight-run advantage.
 
The Explorers continued to pile it on in the eighth inning, scoring three more runs. Junior Peyton Sorrels crossed the plate on an RBI sacrifice fly hit by classmate Connor Hinchliffe, and then Faso connected on a double to left to score Constantini. Faso later scored, as junior Brian Tagoe drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 12-1.
 
Eight different Explorers had a hit in the game, including five with multi-hit performances. Dudeck finished the contest 3-for-4 and was a homer away from hitting for the cycle. Constantini went 3-for-5 with three runs, while Faso was 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run. Meanwhile, McGowan and Arnold also had two hits apiece.
 
Ray allowed just one earned run and five hits over four innings while striking out four. Nick Mancuso, Sebastian Martinez, Alexarmando Diaz, Mike Anthony and Colin Scanlon finished off the game and gave up just three hits over five shutout innings. Mancuso (1-0) earned the win.
 
La Salle will take its two-game win streak to Kansas State for a three-game series against the Big 12 Wildcats. The series will begin on Friday, with first pitch at 3 p.m.