BRONX, N.Y. – The La Salle University baseball team (32-17, 15-5 A-10) earned its 32nd win of the year to break the school record for wins in a season with a 9-5 victory at Fordham on Sunday. The Explorers also won their fourth consecutive Atlantic 10 Conference series, taking three of four games from the Rams.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• La Salle went ahead immediately in the top of the first inning and never looked back. Senior Jack Cucinotta scored on a wild pitch to start the scoring and then junior Tatem Levins came home on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Elijah Dickerson. Graduate student Ryan Guckin later scored on a balk as the Explorers jumped out to a 3-0 advantage.
• The Explorers added three more runs in the fourth inning as senior Alfonse Sadallah scored on an RBI single from Levins, followed by a two-run single by Guckin that made it a 6-0 lead.
• Sophomore starting pitcher Gabe Rappa kept Fordham off the scoreboard until the bottom of the fourth when the Rams tallied a pair of runs on a sacrifice fly and a double, cutting the difference down to 6-2.
• But Rappa kept the Fordham bats quiet and La Salle added to its lead in the eighth with another three-run inning. Cucinotta started it with an RBI ground-rule double before senior Tommy Toal crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Levins. The Explorers went ahead 9-2 shortly after when Cucinotta scored on a wild pitch once again.
• Fordham made things very interesting in the bottom of the eighth though, coming back within four on a two-run home run and an RBI single. The Rams then loaded the bases with the potential tying run at the plate, but sophomore Joe Messina got a critical strikeout looking to end the threat.
• Redshirt freshman Colin Yablonski took the mound in the ninth and retired the side in order to clinch the record-setting win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The school record for wins was previously held by the 1985 Explorers, who finished that season 31-20 and made it to the NCAA tournament.
• La Salle also improved to 15-5 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, holding its grip of first place in the A-10 North standings. It's the first time the Explorers have won 15 league games since 2013.
• Levins continued to impress at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two runs, two RBI and a double. Guckin and sophomore Connor Coolahan each had two hits apiece.
• Rappa improved to 4-1 on the year after firing 7.0 strong innings, allowing just two runs on six hits while striking out five.
• Cucinotta stole his 27th base of the season, which puts him in a three-way tie for third in the program for single-season stolen bases. He also tied Sam Boone for fifth on the career list as well, now up to 45 for his career.

UP NEXT

• La Salle will conclude the regular season next weekend with a four-game A-10 series in Philadelphia at Saint Joseph's. Game one is set for Thursday at 2 p.m.