April 25, 2008

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PHILADELPHIA - A four-run fourth inning and a career-high seven innings pitched by freshman Sean Kennedy helped the La Salle University Baseball team to its third straight Atlantic 10 Conference win as the Explorers defeated visiting Rhode Island, 7-4, at Hank DeVincent Field, Friday.

 

The three-game conference win streak is the longest since May 2006 when the Explorers swept Temple in a series in Ambler. This time, all three have come at home - marking the longest win streak at home since March of the same year - and the first three-game home win streak in conference play since April 2006.

 

Kennedy, who just threw a then career-high 6.1 innings of relief and picked up his first career win in La Salle's 8-2 win at Penn, April 16, battled through seven innings in his second career start. He allowed 13 hits, but just four runs, three earned, and struck out three to improve to 2-2 this season.

 

TJ Chism gave the Explorers an early 1-0 lead after getting hit by a pitch to start off the second inning and then, came around to score on a Kevin Jones RBI single up the middle.

 

Leading off the fourth inning, Chism hit a home run to right, which was the start of a four-run frame for the Explorers. Mike Dertouzos followed with a single before Ram starter Brett Palanski retired the next two batters.

 

With two out, Mike Canfarotta doubled to left field, Shane Frangiosa drew a walk to load the bases, and John Malloy cleared them with a double off the left field fence to put the Explorers up 5-0.

 

Meanwhile, Kennedy was holding Rhode Island scoreless through the first five innings, despite allowing seven hits and nine total base runners.

 

However, two were erased on stealing attempts and La Salle also turned a double play to end the fourth. After getting the 5-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth, Kennedy worked his only 1-2-3 inning of the day in the fifth.

 

Rhode Island (22-19-1, 8-7-1 A-10) scored its first run in the sixth when Tom Coulombe singled home Mike O'Malley, who reached base by error. The Rams then had first-and-third with two out before Kennedy got Chris Parkinson to ground to first.

 

The Rams struck for three more in the seventh as three straight batters registered an RBI - O'Malley on a double, Rob Deveney with a groundout, and Shaun Hagey with a single - to pull to within 5-4.

 

La Salle (10-30, 5-11 A-10) responded with two in the bottom of the frame to push its lead back to three. Malloy led off with a single, stole second, and moved to third on Justin Handler's grounder to second.

 

John Rickards then drew a walk and moved to third as Malloy scored on Chism's second RBI of the game with a double to right field. Jones would knock in his second run on the day with a two-out single to left, scoring Rickards.

 

Kevin Fuqua would take over on the mound for the Explorers in the eighth and allowed a double to Parkinson, but he was thrown out trying to extend it to a triple. In the ninth, he hit a batter and walked a batter, but got a fly out to center and a grounder to first to pick up his first and La Salle's first save of the year.

 

Palanski dropped to 5-3 this season with the loss, after throwing 6.1 innings, allowing eight hits, seven runs, six earned and striking out five.

 

The two teams will continue their three-game A-10 series Saturday at 1 PM.