PHILADELPHIA – Senior Ben Faso of the La Salle University baseball team recorded his 200th career hit on Friday, becoming just the ninth player in program history to join the 200-hit club. Faso nearly sparked a dramatic comeback for the Explorers, but it came up just short in a 7-6 defeat to Dayton in the series opener from Hank DeVincent Field.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Dayton starting pitcher Hunter Wolfe (8-4) pitched a gem and held the Explorers to just two hits over the first six innings.
• Those two hits just so happened to come from Faso, who needed two to reach the 200-hit mark. His first hit was a single through the left side in the fourth inning and then his 200th came as a leadoff double to right center in the seventh.
• The Flyers scored in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and took a 6-0 lead to the seventh.
• Faso's 200th hit sparked a fire for the La Salle offense in the seventh, as fellow senior Kevin McGowan drove him home in the next at-bat on a triple to right center. McGowan then came in to score on a sacrifice fly by freshman Nick O'Day to cut the deficit to four, 6-2.
• Junior right-hander Niko Jenkins came on in relief in the sixth and stymied the Flyer offense, keeping the opposition without a hit over his first 2.2 innings of work.
• In the bottom of the eighth, sophomore Tommy Toal led off with a walk and came all the way around to score on a double by freshman Tatem Levins, bringing La Salle within three at 6-3.
• Dayton scored on a sacrifice bunt in the ninth, but Jenkins got out of a bases-loaded jam with a strikeout swinging.
• The Explorers fought until the finish and an RBI double by senior Brian Tagoe scored O'Day to once more make it a three-run game. Junior Ryan Guckin scored in the next at-bat on an RBI groundout by senior Peyton Sorrels, and then Tagoe scored on an RBI groundout by Toal to bring the Explorers within a run. But the Explorers came up just short in the end.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Faso is the first Explorer with 200 career hits since Jeff Flax ('12). Furthermore, he is seventh in school history with 43 career doubles, tied for seventh with 122 career RBIs and is sixth in single-season RBIs with 52.
• In addition to Faso's 2-for-4 day, Tagoe went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a run, a double, a stolen base and a walk.
• Sophomore Colin Scanlon started on the mound and allowed just three earned runs on six hits over 5.1 innings with four strikeouts. Jenkins struck out four and scattered one run on two hits over 3.2 innings.

UP NEXT

• La Salle and Dayton will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m.