Philadelphia, PA – Jayden Novak hit two home runs while
Marco Levari,
Will Seiler, and
Matt DeStefanis pitched three effective innings each as La Salle defeated UMBC, 9-2, to conclude an eight-game homestand Tuesday at Hank DeVincent Field.
Alec Welshans also hit a home run for La Salle, a two-run shot for his team-leading 16
th of the season. Welshans now sits just one home run off the Atlantic 10 Conference-leading mark of 17.
Ryan Perez and
Nico Amecangelo added an RBI apiece for the Explorers, who out-hit UMBC, 11-5. Amecangelo and
Michael Olender, both first year freshman, had two hits on the day.
Seiler came in relief in the fourth inning and pitched the middle three frames without allowing a hit or run and striking out three to qualify for the win – this first of his collegiate career. DeStefanis came on in the seventh to pitch the final three and matched Seiler with three scoreless, striking out four on just one hit and one walk.
Levari got the start for the Explorers struck out four through the first three innings, with scoreless frames in innings one and two.
La Salle put up six runs in the bottom of the second, sending 11 to bat and give Levari and the staff all the runs they'd need. The first three batters of the inning had extra base hits, as Welshans got the inning started with a solo homer deep to left, next batter
Rueben Livingston doubled and scored when Perez traded places with him for the RBI two-bagger.
Perez scored when
Jayden Novak snuck a two-run homer just over the left-center fence to double the lead to 4-0. Later in the inning, Welshans delivered his second RBI of the frame with a bases-loaded walk.
Justin Szestowicki finished things off when he scored on a passed ball to make it 6-0.
UMBC responded with a pair of runs in the third to cut the lead to 6-2, but La Salle got those runs back when Novak hit his second two-run homer of the day in the top of the fifth. Unlike his first one, Novak's second was a no-doubter long over the fence in left-center.
Amecangelo added insurance with an RBI single in the seventh.
While Tuesday concluded a season-long eight-game homestand for La Salle, it was only the beginning of a marathon week for the Explorers, who head north to visit Iona tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 pm before embarking on a weekend A-10 series at Dayton Friday-Sunday.
