La Salle Beats GW, 7-4; Game Two Suspended Due To Darkness

ARLINGTON, VA – Junior Pat Christensen (La Jolla, CA / La Jolla) tied La Salle's all-time saves record as the Explorers defeated George Washington, 7-4, on Friday in game one of a doubleheader at Barcroft Park. The night cap was suspended in the top of the seventh inning with the Colonials leading 1-0. Play will resume on Saturday at 1 PM prior to the regularly scheduled game three.

La Salle's victory spoiled the first game at the newly renovated Barcroft Park, which received a multi-million dollar facelift in the offseason.

For Christensen, it was career save number 29, which ties him with Gerard Breslin (2004-07) on La Salle's all-time list.

Senior starter Eric Van Wyk (Garnet Valley, PA / Garnet Valley) pitched well for his third win of the season, allowing two earned runs in seven innings. He scattered seven hits, striking out two and walking one. Junior Ryan Donahue allowed a hit in a scoreless eighth, striking out two, and Christensen came on in the ninth to strike out two for his fifth save of the season.

Offensively, senior Jeff Flax had a pair of hits and an RBI, while senior Zach Feierstein and freshman Kevin Conroy each drove in two runs.

The Blue and Gold (12-9, 1-0 A-10) scored five of its seven runs in the first inning. An RBI double by senior Marc Schoch plated classmate Brendan Norton, who had three walks to add to his Division I leading total, to make it 1-0. A two-out two-run single by Conroy and a RBI single by Feierstein extended the lead to 4-0. Sophomore George Smith, Jr. reached on an error that scored senior Jon Gyles for the fifth run of the inning.

La Salle's offense sputtered after the big inning and was held hitless until a junior Joe Bennie triple to lead off the eighth. In the meantime, GW tried to creep back into the game, scoring an unearned run in the first, two in the second (one earned), and one in the fifth to make it 5-4.

Bennie triple allowed La Salle to tack on an insurance run in the eighth when he scored on a Feierstein fielder's choice. In the ninth, Flax singled home junior Dan Klem, who had a lead off double, to give the Explorers a 7-4 cushion.

Brian Derner (0-5) suffered the loss, allowing three earned runs in seven innings, while walking seven. Matthew Murakami had three hits for the Colonials (6-15, 0-1 A-10).

Game two was a tight one throughout with GW leading 1-0 through six. The Colonials scored their only run off La Salle starter Kevin Christy in the fifth on a fielder's choice. Christy was impressive yet again, allowing one earned run in six innings while striking out four.

The Explorers were rallying in the seventh before darkness halted the game. LU had runners on second and third with one out and Norton at the plate before the umpires decided to stop the game.

Weather permitting, the game will resume on Saturday at 1 PM.