Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Jon Kristoffersen (Jefferson, N.J./Jefferson Township) and Rob Moore (Ridge, N.Y./Longwood) each had two RBIs while John Leiter (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) recorded another solid outing on the mound to power Saint Peter's past La Salle 7-3 in the first game of a non-conference baseball doubleheader in the Big Five Baseball Bash on Saturday. The Explorers edged the Peacocks 1-0 in a good ole fashion pitchers duel in the nightcap.
Kristoffersen went 2-for-4 with his team-leading fifth home run of the season along with two RBIs and two runs scored while Moore gave the Peacocks (4-9) the lead they would not relinquish on a two-run double in the first inning and also added a second hit in the contest.
Leiter, who tossed a nine-inning complete-game two-hit shutout against Fordham one week ago today to earn the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Pitcher of the Week award, allowed three runs on six hits with eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings pitched to earn his second-straight win.
Anthony Assante (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial), who was coming off a strong outing of his own against Villanova on Sunday, notched his second-straight quality start after allowing one run on three hits with three strikeouts in 6.1 innings pitched and took the loss despite the strong effort on the hill.
Tommy Toole (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) posted two hits, two runs scored and Mike Ionta (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) added three hits on the afternoon.
Jordan Meyer tossed a seven-inning complete-game two-hit shutout with six strikeouts in the nightcap for the Explorers (5-13) while Travis George knocked in the only run of the second game in the bottom of the seventh to win in walk-off fashion. Joey Ravert posted two hits and an RBI in the opener and Chase Arnold had two hits and an RBI on the day.
In the first game, Saint Peter's jumped out to a lead by scoring in five of the first six innings and never looked back to earn a 7-3 victory.
Angel Perez (Jersey City, N.J./Marist HS) and Kristoffersen each were hit by a pitch to start the game before Moore doubled to right center to bring both runners home for a 2-0 advantage after the first inning.
After Arnold cut the deficit in half with an RBI single in the second, the Peacocks scored a run in each of the next four innings to take a 6-1 advantage.
Griffin Arnott (Brielle, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) doubled to right and moved to third on a Perez fly out before touching home on a Kristoffersen RBI groundout in the fourth for a 3-1 lead.
In the fourth Toole walked, stole second and advanced to third on an error on the play and crossed the plate on Nick Cardamone's (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Township) RBI groundout for a four-run lead.
Perez singled to lead off the fifth, stole second and advanced to third on an error on the play and touched home on an error for a 5-1 edge.
Small ball continued to help Saint Peter's in the sixth. Toole singled through the left side and Cardamone singled to left center to put runners on the corners. The Peacocks then attempted a double steal, but Cardamone was called out on the play while Toole scored the sixth run of the afternoon.
La Salle got two runs back in the seventh on a Kevin McGowan RBI ground out and a Ravert RBI single up the middle to trim the margin to 6-3, but Kristoffersen smacked a solo homer in the ninth to seal the 7-3 victory.
After 10 runs were scored in the first game, only two runners reached third base in the nightcap and the second one touched home to give the Explorers the walk-off victory in the seventh.
In the seventh, Ravert walked and moved to third on Arnold's single to center before touching home on George's RBI single through the right side.
Saint Peter's got a runner to second twice in the second game, but could not score. Perez walked with one out in the fourth and moved to second on a groundout, but a popup left him on second base. In the sixth, Toole single to left with one out and stole second before a pair of strikeouts got La Salle out of the jam.
Saint Peter's returns to action at Seton Hall on Wednesday. Game time is 4 p.m.
