PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph's baseball team opened its weekend series at La Salle with a doubleheader sweep, holding on for a 6-5 win in the opener before breaking out for a 15-6 rout in the nightcap at Hank DeVincent Field on Friday afternoon.
 
GAME 1: Saint Joseph's 6, La Salle 5
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (28-14 overall, 18-2 Atlantic 10) took the lead in the top of the third.  With the bases loaded and one out, Richard Beggy hit into a fielder's choice; the relay throw was offline and allowed Alex Kelsey to score the game's first run.  Blake Primrose then came in to score on a failed pickoff attempt to double the advantage.
 
• The Explorers threated in the bottom of the third, but with two on and one out, Tim Dickinson caught a line drive at second and fired to first in time for an inning-ending double play.
 
• La Salle (18-25 overall, 4-16 Atlantic 10) got on the board in the bottom of the fourth on a solo home run by Carter Groen.
 
• The Hawks extended the lead in the sixth.  Primrose led off with a double before Janesko walked and Dickinson was hit by a pitch to load the bases; a throwing error by the La Salle catcher brought home Primrose before a single by Alex Venezia scored Janesko to make it 5-1.
 
• Groen then singled in a run in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 5-2 game.
 
• Beggy got the run back in the top of the seventh with a sacrifice fly.
 
• The Explorers rallied in the bottom of the eighth, as Justin Szestowicki hit a two-run home run and Alec Welshans added a solo shot to make it a 6-5 game heading to the ninth.
 
• Andrew Gaines came in from the bullpen and slammed the door with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Gaines saved the win for Duke McCarron, who was outstanding on Friday, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out four in seven innings.  Owen MacDonnell took the loss for La Salle, allowing five runs – two of them earned – on four hits in six innings.
 
• Primrose collected two hits, while he and Kelsey each scored two runs.  Kelsey also added a pair of stolen bases.
 
GAME 2: Saint Joseph's 15, La Salle 6
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Hawks took the lead right out of the gate on a first-inning solo home run by Primrose and then hung a four-spot on the board in the third.  La Salle's Jace Terry hit four of the first five batters of the inning to force in a run before a Beggy fielder's choice pushed across another.  Joey Pagano then brought in a run with a double before a Janesko single made it 5-0.
 
• Carson Applegate singled in the top of the fourth and came in to score on a single by Kelsey before an RBI groundout by Ryan Perez in the bottom of the inning made it 6-1.
 
• The Hawks added another run on back-to-back doubles by Beggy and Pagano in the top of the fifth, but the Explorers got back into the game through a three-run home run from Szestowicki in the bottom of the frame.
 
• This time, the Hawks answered with some fireworks of their own, as a walk to Kelsey and a single by Beggy led to a three-run home run by Pagano to extend the lead to 10-4.
 
• Joey Gale then beat out an RBI single to score Dickinson in the seventh before Kelsey singled home Applegate to make it 12-4.  After Primrose added another single, Pagano ripped another double to plate two and extend the lead to 14-4.
 
• Rueben Livingston beat out an infield single to score a run in the bottom of the seventh for La Salle, but Hawks got it back on a wild pitch in the eighth.  Tyler Morgan then singled in a run for the Explorers in the bottom of the ninth to set the final margin.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Sam Greer improved to 3-1 on the season after earning the win; he tossed four and two-thirds innings in relief of Cole Fehrman and allowed two runs while scattering nine hits and striking out six.  Fehrman allowed four runs on five hits and fanned six in four and a third innings, while Terry started for La Salle allowed five runs on just one hit and one walk to go with the four hit batters in two and a third innings.
 
• Pagano drove in seven runs and went 4-for-6 with three doubles and a home run.  Primrose added three hits while Kelsey and Beggy collected two apiece.
 
• Applegate was hit by a pitch three times in the game and scored four runs while Beggy added three more.
 
• Each Hawk in the starting lineup reached base safely in the nightcap.
 
UP NEXT
The teams will wrap up the series on Sunday at noon.