May 17, 2008

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score 

PHILADELPHIA - Brian Meagher hit a walk-off double in the 10th inning of Game 1 and then singled home the game-winner in the ninth of Game 2 to give the La Salle University Baseball team a doubleheader sweep over Saint Joseph's on Saturday at Hank DeVincent Field in the season finale for both teams.

The Explorers won the first game in 10 innings 13-12 as Rick Gehman scored the game-winner on Meagher's double. They took the second game 7-6 as Meagher's single through the left side scored John Rickards with the winning run in the ninth inning giving them their fourth Atlantic 10 Conference series win of the season.

In a slugfest first game, Kevin Jones gave La Salle a 3-0 lead with a three-run home run to left field, but the lead was erased as the Hawks tied the game in the second and took a 5-3 lead in the third.

The Explorers plated three more in the bottom of the third to take back the lead as TJ Chism and Jones hit back-to-back RBI singles, then Meagher scored Chism on a squeeze play as La Salle took a 6-5 lead.

He allowed a two-RBI single to Joe Cook - who had three hits and four RBI in game one - then surrendered another RBI single in the fifth as Saint Joseph's took a 12-6 lead.

However, he pitched two scoreless innings before turning the ball over to Shane Frangiosa who came into the game in the eighth and threw three scoreless innings.

That helped the Explorers in their come-back effort, as Justin Handler hit a solo home run in the sixth. Then La Salle tied the game with five in the seventh - with Mike Canfarotta, Handler and Rickards each driving in one with singles.

After Rickards' single made it 12-11 Hawks, with runners on first and second, Chism hit a fielder's choice for the second out, but put runners on the corners. La Salle then executed a double steal, as Handler raced home to tie the score on the throw to second.

In the top of the eighth, La Salle ended the inning with its 47th double play of the season, which is the most ever turned in a season at the school. Frangiosa allowed just two hits in his three innings of work, as he won his first game of the season (1-2).

In the Explorers' 10th, Saint Joseph's fifth pitcher of the game - Chris Prescott - walked Jones to start the frame, who was replaced by pinch-runner Gehman. Mike Dertouzos sacrificed him to second before Meagher laced a double down the left-field line to give the Explorers the victory.

Game 2 started just like Game 1, with La Salle jumping out to a 3-0 lead after one. John Malloy doubled, Handler hit an RBI single, then stole home again on a double-steal with Chism, and Dertouzos knocked him in with a single.

However the Hawks answered every La Salle run with runs of their own - scoring three in the top of the second. Then after the Explorers plated two unearned runs in the third, Saint Joseph's pushed two across in the top of the fourth.

La Salle starter Kevin Fuqua settled in after the fourth inning, allowing just a lead-off double in the fifth, then retired 10 straight batters.

The Explorers gave him a 6-5 lead in the sixth, when Rickards scored on an RBI single by Chism, but again the Hawks responded in the top of the eighth with one run to make it 6-all.

Fuqua worked a perfect top of the ninth - as he sat down the top three hitters of the line-up. He held the Hawks 1-4 hitters to just one hit and one walk in 19 plate appearances.

In the bottom of the frame, Rickards was hit by his fourth pitch of the day - 21st of the season - the most since Kevin Ibach was hit by 24 during the 1998 season. Rickards reached base 10 times on the afternoon and was retired just once.

Saint Joseph's (18-34, 9-18 A-10) then went to its pen, replacing starter Don Werner with Doug DiSandro. After Chism sacrifice Rickards to second, Jones was intentionally walked, before DiSandro got Dertouzos to pop to second.

Meagher then stepped to the plate and replayed his heroics from Game 1, singling through the left side and scoring Rickards with the winning run.

Fuqua improved to 5-9 on the season with his sixth complete game of the season - the third most ever thrown in a season at the school. He also pushed his innings total to 101.1 - the first time any pitcher at La Salle has gone over the century mark.

His 77 strikeouts this season - he had seven in this effort - is tied for the third-most in a single season. The 14th start he made Saturday is also tied for the third-most.

La Salle finishes the season 16-36, 11-16 in the A-10, which tied them for ninth in the final standings, while winning four A-10 series, the second-most ever in a season.

Rickards completed his season with his name in five single-season categories - runs, 10th, 44; doubles, T-10th, 13; triples, T-2nd, 6; RBI, T-7th, 42; and total bases, T-4th, 112.

All-time, Rickards finishes as one of La Salle's best, putting his name in seven career categories - at bats, 7th, 632; hits, 6th, 211; doubles, T-5th, 38; triples, 1st, 17; home runs, T-5th, 20; RBI, 6th, 122; and total bases, 5th, 355. He was two runs scored and three stolen bases shy of reaching the top 10 in those categories.

Other notes from the season, include Malloy becoming just the third Explorer to have back-to-back 60-plus hit seasons to start a career, and finished with 131 hits, which is the third-most for any Explorer after completing their sophomore season.

Handler ended the season with a 10-game hitting streak, while hitting .439 in the stretch and raising his average 37 points.

As a team, La Salle scored 266 runs, the most since the 2000 season, went 11-13 at Hank DeVincent Field and was 12-14 after April 1.