PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania baseball team fell to visiting La Salle, 14-7, in a high-scoring affair on Thursday afternoon at Meiklejohn Stadium.

The two squads combined for 21 runs and 23 hits on a windy day.

Freshman Edward Sarti was saddled with the loss for the Quakers (0-4), while southpaw Gabe Rappa worked five and a third innings to earn the victory for the Explorers (11-7).
Penn continues a four-game set with La Salle on Friday. First pitch with the Explorers is slated for 3:00 p.m. with Joe Miller getting the start on the bump for the Quakers.

NOTES
*Penn had a season-high 12 hits and the Red and Blue also scored a season-high seven runs.

*Eight of the nine Penn starters had a hit in the game.

*Tommy Courtney, Eduardo Malinowski, Andrew Hernandez and Craig Larsen each had two hits apiece for the Quakers.

*Larsen hit a two-run homer in the second inning. He also added an RBI double in the ninth.

*Hernandez had a pair of extra-base hits for Penn. He smacked a double to left in the third and added a two-run homer to left in the ninth. Behind the plate, he also gunned down two runners attempting to steal.

*In relief, Cole Sichley worked a 1-2-3 frame for the Quakers. Also out of the bullpen, Cole Zaffiro tossed an inning and a third of scoreless relief.

HOW IT HAPPENED
La Salle opened the scoring in the first inning courtesy of a two-run homer to left field from Jack Cucinotta. The Quakers would tie the score at two in the home half of the second following Larsen's two-run shot.

The Explorers answered right back with three runs in the top of the third. In the frame, La Salle pieced together two hits and had two other runners reached base (walk and a HBP). The big blow in the frame was a two-out, two-run single through the left side.

In the bottom of the third, Penn cut into the deficit with a Jackson Petersen sac fly to left making it a 5-3 contest in favor of the guests.

La Salle tacked on an insurance run in the fourth and Penn scored a wild pitch to make it 6-4 after six innings.

Leading by two in the top of the ninth, La Salle broke the game open with eight runs on six hits. Penn did not go down without a fight as Hernandez hit a two-run homer and Larsen added an RBI double in the ninth.