PHILADELPHIA – Senior left-hander Colin Scanlon fired 8.0 scoreless innings on the mound to lead the La Salle University baseball team (27-15, 10-3 A-10) to a 5-0 series-opening win over Atlantic 10 rival Saint Joseph's from Hank DeVincent Field on Friday. Freshman Will Binder and graduate student Ryan Guckin both homered in the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Scanlon was in a head-to-head battle with his counterpart, Ian McCole, as both pitchers were lights-out early on.
• The two hurlers combined for 12 strikeouts over the first four innings, taking a scoreless ballgame into the fifth inning.
• Momentum shifted in a big way in the bottom of the fifth when junior Nick O'Day got La Salle's first hit of the game on a single through the left side. That set up Binder for his second career home run, a two-run shot over the left-center wall to give the Explorers a 2-0 lead.
• La Salle built off that momentum in the very next inning, with junior Tatem Levins working a walk and sophomore Elijah Dickerson singling up the middle. Then Guckin stepped in and crushed a no-doubt, three-run bomb over the same wall in left-center, providing the Explorers with a 5-0 advantage on his third homer of the year.
• Saint Joseph's put runners in scoring position in the seventh and eighth, but Scanlon remained locked-in, striking out the final batter in both innings to preserve the shutout.
• Redshirt freshman Colin Yablonski came on in relief in the ninth inning and worked a 1-2-3 inning to cap off the conference win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• La Salle (27-15) now has the third most wins in program history, tying the 1999 team. The Explorers are only one win away from second all-time and four away from the school record of 31.
• The Explorers remain in first place in the Atlantic 10 standings and continue their best A-10 start ever (10-3) through 13 conference games.
• Scanlon allowed just five hits while striking out seven over his scoreless 8.0 innings of work. With the win, he improved to 6-2 on the year, moving into a tie for seventh place on the program's single-season wins list.
• O'Day went 2-for-3 with a double that came within less than an inch of clearing the fence for a home run. Senior Alfonse Sadallah also reached base twice with a single and a walk.

UP NEXT

• The Explorers will host Senior Day on Saturday, honoring their eight seniors prior to game one of a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is slated for 11 a.m.