Penn hammers bored LaSalle

Over-scheduled LaSalle sent freshmen to the mound and Penn feasted. Penn baseball coach Bob Seddon taught an old baseball lesson, with new students, in yesterday's game at Bower Field. "Pitching dictates the game, it's that simple," Seddon said. "We got good pitching today." The Quakers disposed of the La Salle Explorers by a score of 15-2 in a seven-inning contest. Penn (11-13-1), seeking redemption after an 8-7, 16-inning loss last week, took command through its young pitchers. This effort was put together by a committee of underclassmen. Three freshman and one sophomore combined to allow only two runs on two hits. Freshman Kevin Johnson got the starting nod, and allowed La Salle's only runs, but came out with the win. The Explorers' surge came courtesy of senior centerfielder Brian Schaller, who doubled driving in two runs in the first inning. Penn scored six runs on one hit in the bottom half of the first, giving them all the offense they would need. Penn junior Joe Carlon led off the bottom half of the first with one of five Penn walks that inning. With two runs in on walks and hit batters, sophomore Shawn Spiezio stepped to the plate. "He threw [Penn outfielder Drew Corradini] a first pitch fastball right down the middle," Spiezio said. "I thought he'd do the same. I was just anxious to hit." With the bases juiced, Spiezio got the 0-0 fastball, and made La Salle pay. The Penn second baseman sent the ball towering over the rightfield fence into the batting cage area, for a grand slam. Sophomore Ray Broome then entered the game and put together two innings of hitless baseball, keeping the Quakers in control. "Broome can help out the staff if he can throw strikes consistently," Quakers assistant coach Bill Wagner said. Broome controlled the La Salle lineup, facing seven batters and allowing no hits. The Penn hurler also racked up three strikeouts in the process. The final three innings saw two more freshmen split time on the mound. La Salle stepped to the plate in the fifth against a hard-throwing Anthony Napolitano. Overpowering the hitters, Napolitano struck out the first two Explorers batter he faced. The freshman righty left the contest with four strikeouts and no hits allowed. "Napolitano hasn't seen enough innings since we got back form Florida, but he pitched well today for us," Wagner said. The final Quaker to throw was John Dolan, who mowed through the seventh in 1-2-3 fashion. Dolan put a definitive end to the game, striking La Salle catcher Mark Duffy out on an 0-2 curve, his bread-and-butter pitch. The La Salle game also marked an opportunity for Seddon and his Quakers to get a good look at the rest of the freshman class. "[Freshman catcher Jeff] Gregorio had a good day. He's got a a nice arm and he is coming around as a freshman," Wagner said. Gregorio provided much of the offense after the first inning, doubling twice with three RBIs. This contest marked a new lineup change for Penn. Quakers sophomore Russ Farscht played his first game at first base, bumping junior Trent Nagata out of the lineup. "Right now Mark (Nagata) is our DH and Russ is at first. Trent will back up both of those positions," Seddon said. "If Russ struggles, Trent will play. Obviously, that can all change." The move proved to be of little problem for Farscht, as he contributed a hit and two runs to the Penn cause. Penn's domination of this game gave the coaches some liberty to try new defensive alignments. Seddon moved Spiezio to third and brought in Oliver Hahl, a freshman from Cincinnati, to play second. Late in the game, the Quakers infield was a snap shot of the future, lining up a freshman at each position. "Spiezio and Hahl are going to battle it out for second base right now," Wagner said. "[Glen] Ambrosius is an extremely mature player for us at third base." The youth movement played a huge role in this seven-inning romp, as the freshman class provided a much-needed lift in the Penn game. "It felt good to blow them out. We needed a good win before this weekend," Spiezio said. The Quakers scored 15 runs, and made as many changes over the course of the game. In the end, the youth was able to prove the age-old golden rule of baseball: good pitching beats good hitting.

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