March 30, 2008

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PHILADELPHIA - For more than seven innings, the La Salle University Baseball team had 23rd-ranked Charlotte on the ropes. However, in the eighth, the 49ers scored their only runs of the game, but it was enough to register a 4-2 victory in Atlantic 10 action at Hank DeVincent Field, Sunday.

La Salle starter Drew Gerhart pitched one of his best games of his career, holding the 49ers scoreless through the first seven innings, while the Explorers gave him a 2-0 advantage.

In the fifth, Rick Gehman scored the game's first run. He drew a one-out walk, and then moved to third on a hit-and-run with Justin Handler. During John Malloy's at-bat, Charlotte reliever Bryan Hamilton was called for a balk, allowing Gehman to score.

The Explorers added another in the sixth, again as a result of a free pass. Reaching base with a lead-off walk was TJ Chism and Mike Dertouzos sacrificed him to second. Brian Meagher then singled to left, scoring Chism and giving La Salle the 2-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Gerhart was cruising, holding the 49ers to four hits over the first seven innings, but did allow five walks. The Explorers, though, would use their defense to keep them off the board.

In the first, Aaron Bray walked, then stole second, but tried to go to advance on a grounder to short and was thrown out at third. In the third, again, Bray walked, stole second, and this time moved to third on a Brad McElroy single. However, he was thrown out at home on a double steal.

Charlotte (21-3, 6-0 A-10) would finally break through in the eighth, as they sent 10 batters to the plate and scored four runs. McElroy began the inning with a double to left center, but Gerhart got the next two outs - including one on his fifth strikeout of the day.

Rob Lyerly then broke-up the shutout with a double to right, scoring McElroy, and the next batter - pinch hitter Mike Perkins - walked and La Salle went to its pen.

Pinch hitter Justin Wilson drew a walk off of reliever John Rickards to load the bases and then Corey Shaylor broke the game open. On a 3-2 pitch - all the runners were moving - Shaylor laced a single through the right side and cleared the bases.

Two more batters would reach via walks - La Salle issued 10 in the game - to load the bases again, but Caolan Ronan got McElroy to fly out to center to end the frame.

Kelly McLain (2-0), who came in for relief in the seventh, pitched out of a second and third one-out jam in the bottom of the eighth, and got the first two outs of the ninth, before hitting Gehman with a pitch and a allowing a Handler single.

Sam Pierce, who picked up a save in Saturday's game, then threw one pitch to get his third save of the year and give the 49ers the series sweep.

Gerhart (0-3) suffered the loss. He was just one out away from tying his career-high for innings pitch (8.0 versus Dayton - May 6, 2007) and one strikeout away from tying his career high of six (at Temple - May 20, 2006).

La Salle (4-22, 0-6 A-10) is next in action, Tuesday, traveling to Plymouth Meeting to take on Villanova at 3:15 PM. The Explorers then travel to Saint Louis next weekend for a three-game A-10 series with the Billikens.