PHILADELPHIA - Junior Ryan Guckin and freshman Matt Rivera both went yard for the first time this season, but the La Salle University baseball team came up just short of completing a weekend sweep against Rider with a 7-6 setback on Sunday from Hank DeVincent Field.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Broncs put two men on quickly, but senior Ben Faso threw out the runner at home to prevent the first run. However, Rider's Riley Mihalik drove a two-run home run well over the right field fence in the next at-bat.
• Freshman Quentin Brown led off the second with a single and later worked his way to third base, but he was left stranded on base.
• Mihalik did it again in the third frame, hitting a three-run blast to right once more for his fifth homer of the season to push Rider ahead, 5-0.
• With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Brown hit a popup to the second baseman, who mishandled it, allowing sophomore Tommy Toal to score the Explorers' first run. Guckin then made the Broncs pay for the mistake in the next at-bat, blasting a three-run bomb to right to score Brown and freshman Nick O'Day to make it 5-4.
• After a 1-2-3 inning by right-hander Mike Anthony in the seventh, freshman Matt Rivera led off the bottom of the inning with his first career home run, a shot down the left field line to tie the game at 5-5. La Salle later had the bases loaded in the seventh but couldn't convert.
• Anthony had another quick inning in the eighth, but the Broncs got it together in the ninth, as Joe Simone reached on a dropped fly ball and then scored on a triple by Brennan McAllister, who later scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-5.
• In the bottom of the ninth, Faso drove home Toal on a sacrifice fly to center to make it a one-run game. Brown then stepped in with the tying run in senior Peyton Sorrels on third, but Zach Gakeler ended the game with a strikeout.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Despite the loss, La Salle has won each of its first two series of 2019, just one season after winning one series all year.
• O'Day and Rivera each posted 3-for-4 days at the plate, while Toal was 2-for-3 with two runs and a walk.
• Sophomore Colin Kennedy threw three shutout innings of relief for La Salle, allowing only one hit after relieving starter Aidan Frye.

UP NEXT

• La Salle will return to Hank DeVincent Field on Saturday to start a three-game series against Albany.