PHILADELPHIA – Freshman Will Binder delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to lift the La Salle University baseball team past Penn, 7-6, from Hank DeVincent Field on Friday. The win was La Salle's third in a row and 26th of the season, fourth most in program history.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• It was all pitching early on as senior Colin Scanlon and Penn's Kevin Eaise were both dealing and took a scoreless ballgame into the sixth inning.
• Penn finally broke the scoreless tie in the sixth with two runs on a single and a double to go up 2-0.
• La Salle immediately had an answer in the bottom half though as graduate student Ryan Guckin cut the deficit in half with a solo home run to right field, his second of the season. A few batters later, Binder came through with a two-run double to right center, scoring redshirt sophomore Nick Di Vietro and junior Nick O'Day to give La Salle a 3-2 lead.
• The Quakers responded in the seventh, however, and went back in front on a two-run double, 4-3.
• But once again, the Explorers answered in the bottom half and senior Jack Cucinotta tied it up at four apiece with a solo homer to right center, his sixth of the season. Later in the inning, O'Day put La Salle ahead 6-4 with a two-run triple to left center, bringing home sophomore Elijah Dickerson and Guckin.
• La Salle looked to close it out in the ninth, but Penn had other ideas. Wyatt Henseler struck a two-run double down the left field line to even the score at six apiece. The Quakers threatened even more with two men in scoring position, but senior Colin Kennedy got out of the jam.
• In the bottom of the ninth, Dickerson led off with a double to left center, giving the Explorers a great opportunity to win it. And low and behold, four batters later, Binder got the biggest hit of his young career, pushing a single past the outstretched arm of the second baseman and allowing Dickerson to come all the way around to score the game-winning run.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• La Salle (26-13) moved past the 2019 team for fourth place on the program's all-time wins list. The Explorers need just one more to tie the 1999 team for third and two more to tie the 2011 team for second.
• Binder had a big day, going 3-for-5 with three RBI, a double and a stolen base. O'Day also had three hits (3-5, 2 RBI), as did Dickerson (3-5, 2 R).
• Scanlon fired 6.1 innings on the mound, allowing just three runs on six hits while striking out six. Redshirt freshman Colin Yablonski matched his career high with five strikeouts in relief, while Kennedy improved to 4-0 on the year with the win.
• With a stolen base on the day, Cucinotta moved into a tie for sixth with John Malloy on the program's all-time stolen bases list with 40. It was his 22nd stolen base of the season, which also moved him into a tie for seventh on the single-season list with Billy Bradshaw.

UP NEXT

• The Explorers and Quakers will resume their three-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch of game one is slated for 11 a.m. and both games will be streamed on ESPN+.