Box Score Photo Credit: Lucas Tang

Philadelphia, PA – It wasn't a no hitter, but a shutout will suffice.

Fresh off a combined no-hitter on Sunday, La Salle pitching continued its stellar stretch with a shutout on Tuesday, helping pave the way for the offense in an 8-0 victory over Big 5 foe Penn at Meiklejohn Stadium – Tommy Lasorda Field in University City.

In order, Shawn Karpaitis, Chase Forester, Connor Collora, Lucas Edwards, and Matt DeStefanis combined to throw nine innings of shutout ball, allowing just three hits while striking out seven in the effort.

Karpaitis (2 IP) and Forester (2 2/3  IP) carried a no hitter into the fifth inning, though Penn broke it up with the leadoff batter. That snapped a 15-innings hitless stretch by La Salle pitching, which dates to the seventh inning of Saturday's victory over Davidson.

Daniel Perez drove in three runs – reaching the 100-career RBI plateau – to lead a balanced La Salle offensive attack. Austin Rhue drove in a pair and Justin Szestowicki got the scoring started with a sacrifice fly in the third inning to give La Salle a lead it would never relent.

Perez struck for a bases-clearing three-run double in the fourth, his second of two hits on the afternoon. Rhue had the other RBI hit, a two-run single to the opposite field to add insurance in the ninth. The Explorers also benefited from a two-run infield error in the seventh, hit off the bat of Ryan Perez.

Carter Groen added a pair of hits and runs for the Explorers.

Penn bats didn't find much grass against the Explorers' pitching, but La Salle did walk 11 batters to work around traffic on the basepaths. La Salle's staff bent but did not break once on the afternoon, stranding a total of 14 baserunners.

Penn twice got the tying run to plate with bases-loaded threats in the fifth and sixth, but Collora left them stranded both times, shutting down the Quakers' two largest threats of the day, with La Salle clinging to a 4-0 lead each instance.  

DeStefanis also stranded the bases loaded to end the game in the ninth.

Edwards left two stranded in scoring position to end the eighth, striking out the final two batters of the inning.  

Earlier in the eight, Kosei Suzuki helped keep Penn out of the hit column with a full-extensive diving grab on a shallow fly ball in left field, which at the time would've been only the Quakers' second hit of the day.

La Salle's marathon week continues tomorrow with a home game against Saint Pater's. First pitch is set for 3:00 pm at Hank DeVincent Field.