Rich Prall was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a RBI.

Justin Handler had two hits and scored two runs.

George Hudock had two hits and knocked in two runs.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – After winning its first two Atlantic 10 series, the La Salle University Baseball team suffered a two-game sweep at Rhode Island last week, but the Explorers are back on track after their 8-4 win over Massachusetts’ Thursday afternoon at Hank DeVincent Field.

Strong starting pitching by La Salle’s Dennis Burge and strong plate appearances by Rich Prall, 3-for-5, two runs, one RBI; George Hudock, 2-for-5, two RBI, one run; and Justin Handler, 2-for-3, two runs and one RBI; helped the Explorers take the first game of the three-game set with the Minutemen.

La Salle (12-19, 5-4 A-10) opened the scoring in the third, which was started by a leadoff double by John Vincent. The first Explorer hit in the game by Vincent was followed by Handler’s walk. Handler moved to second and Vincent was forced at third on Mike Essery’s sacrifice attempt.

With two outs, Bill Kern singled to left field scoring Handler and La Salle led 1-0. Kern knocked in Handler again, this time with a bases loaded sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, giving La Salle a 2-0 advantage.

Burge allowed a single in the first and a leadoff single to start the second, but from that point until he walked Massachusetts’ Derrick Durepo to start the sixth inning, he retired 12 straight batters.

Massachusetts (5-16, 3-7 A-10) used that free pass to plate its first and only run of the game off Burge, who contributed to the score. He allowed Durepo to get to third on two straight errors on pick-off attempts and he scored on Ryan Franczek’s grounder to short.

La Salle answered back putting four runs on the board in the bottom of the frame with Prall starting the rally with a leadoff single. He scored on Hudock’s RBI triple to centerfield and the Explorers then loaded the bases with a walk by John Rickards and a hits batman by Vincent.

Handler then hit an RBI single, Essery recorded a RBI with a bases loaded walk, and Elkind drove in another with a sacrifice fly and the Explorers led 6-1.

Burge finished his final inning by striking out the side in the seventh. He finished the day with career-highs with seven innings pitched and five strikeouts as he won his first game of the season.

Prall and Hudock added some more insurance with another run in the bottom of the seventh, with Prall hitting a double down the left field line and Hudock followed with a RBI double down the right field line.

The Minutemen made it interesting for a half inning as they cut the Explorer lead to 7-4 with four straight hits in the eighth. Franczek started it with a double, back-to-back RBI singles by Adam Tempesta and Lou Proietti followed and Bryan Adamski knocked in the third run with a double.

La Salle and Massachusetts will continue their three-game set Friday at 3 PM.