May 16, 2009

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - La Salle capped a four-run rally that saw the Explorers tie the game with three runs in the bottom of the ninth, push the winning run across in the 10th and defeated the Richmond baseball team, 5-4, Saturday in Philadelphia on the final day of the 2009 regular season. The Spiders finished 22-25 overall, 11-16 in Atlantic 10 play.

The Explorers' late-game surge spoiled what was the best start of freshman Zach Jung's young career. The righty scattered five hits and four strikeouts over 5.2 innings of one-run ball, turning the game over to his bullpen with a 3-1 lead in the sixth.

Junior Cameron Brown finished the day three-for-five with a homer, an RBI and a run scored, while freshman Phil Ruzbarsky, junior Victor Croglio and freshman Adam McConnell each had two of the Spiders' 11 hits. Senior RF Ryan Metzroth had a hit and finished his final season batting .300.

After a career in which he'll graduate as the Spiders' career leader in both saves (26) and appearances (108), senior Brian Alas's final outing on the mound was, fittingly, a save situation. But the fifth-year senior blew just the second save of his record-breaking career as La Salle struck for three runs in the ninth and the game went extra innings.

Richmond left a pair stranded in the top of the 10th, opening the door for the Explorers (19-30, 8-18) to load the bases with two singles and an intentional walk off reliever Jay Joines. Jon Gyles dealt the winning blow, a walk-off single that hugged the left-field line.

The Spiders struck first and gave Jung the lead thanks to single runs in each of the first three innings. McConnell led of the game with a single, moved to second on a groundout and scored on Billy Barber's double.

A Croglio single, on the heels of Ruzbarsky's double, made it a 2-1 game in the second inning. Brown launched his team-leading 11th homer of the season - a solo shot deep over the left-center field fence - making it 3-1.

Jung settled in after yielding a run on two hits in the first, and was scoreless - working around three hits and five walks - over the next four innings. Reliever Ian Marshall kept things in order, entering the game with two aboard and two outs in the sixth to get the final out.

A bunt single gave Ruzbarsky his second hit of the game to lead off the seventh; he moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on McConnell's single to center field, putting the Spiders up 4-1.

Marshall allowed three hits and no runs in 2.1 innings of work with two strikeouts.

John Malloy led off the ninth with a single off Alas and Jim Taraboacchia followed with a double. Both runners scored on Gyles single, and with one out, the tying run scored on Tony Negrin's fielders' choice. Alas rolled a fielders' choice in the next at-bat and sent the game to extras.

Saturday's game brought to an end the careers of five Spiders - Ryan Metzroth, Brian Alas, Josh Horn, Stephen Owens, and Kyle Leith - who played for the final time in a Richmond uniform.