Xavier University Athletics
Xavier University
La Salle
Brown Extends Streak and Pushes Xavier to Win
05.12.06 | Baseball
May 12, 2006
PHILADELPHIA - Freshman Steve Brown beat out a grounder to the shortstop in the top of the ninth inning to preserve his team-best 17-game hitting streak and help Xavier storm past host La Salle, 13-1. The Musketeers used 14 hits en route to the Atlantic 10 win on Friday afternoon at Elmwood Park. The win moves Xavier to 15-37 on the season and 5-18 in conference play, while La Salle falls to 17-30 overall and 9-13 in A-10 action.
Xavier struck first as the Musketeers exploded for three runs in the first and two more in the top of the second. Adam Lipski's third homerun of the season put XU out in front 3-0 after the first stanza. Lipski took the 1-2 pitch to deep right-center field and drove in Neil Lindgren and Sean Brewer.
An error and an RBI-groundout in the second pushed the Xavier lead to 5-1 as La Salle plated one in the bottom of the first. But a three-run seventh and a five-run ninth would push the game out of reach as the Musketeers would score eight runs over the final three innings using seven total hits and three costly Explorer errors.
All but one starter had a hit for the blue and white as Lipski led the way with his 3-for-5 effort and three RBIs. Matt Waskerwitz ended the afternoon perfect at the plate as the junior finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Jordan Wolf and Adam Pasono each collected two hits, while Sean Farrell, Sean Brewer, Brown and Lindgren each had a hit. Pasono's and Brewer's hits were doubles as Pasono now has three on the season and Brewer improved to a team-best 19 doubles.
Michael Lucas threw six innings of six-hit baseball to pick up his first win of the season. Lucas ended allowing only one run and four walks, while tying his career high in strikeouts with eight. Senior Steve Sakosits came in to provide three innings of scoreless relief and allowed only one hit to the 10 batters that he faced, dropping his opponent average against to a team-low .251.
The final game of the series will get underway tomorrow afternoon starting at 1:00 pm at Elmwood Park's Latshaw/McCarthy Field. Xavier's Dan Graham (2-5, 4.59 ERA) will take the mound and look to win the series against La Salle's Drew Gerhart (0-3, 10.34 ERA).
