Owen MacDonnell delivered La Salle’s strongest start of the season Friday afternoon — and the Explorers made sure it held up.
The graduate left-hander struck out eight over seven innings as La Salle defeated Coppin State, 10-2, in the opener of a weekend series at Joe Cannon Stadium. The victory improved the Explorers to 6-2 on the season.
MacDonnell (2-0) allowed just four hits and two walks while surrendering two runs — only one earned — across 101 pitches. Both his seven innings pitched and eight strikeouts marked season-bests for La Salle pitchers.
Coppin State tied the game at 2-2 in the second inning, but MacDonnell settled in from there, working five scoreless frames to finish his outing and keeping the Eagles from building any momentum.
La Salle struck first with two runs in the second on RBI from Justin Szestowicki and Alec Welshans. After Coppin answered in the bottom half, the Explorers regained the lead in the third when Carter Groen stole third and scored on a passed ball to make it 3-2 — a lead they would not relinquish.
Rueben Livingston extended the margin in the fifth with his third home run in four games, a solo shot that made it 4-2. Livingston finished with two hits and an RBI.
The Explorers broke the game open in the seventh with six runs. Daniel Perez drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run, Ryan Albin followed with a two-run single, and Chase Swain cleared the bases with a triple. Groen added an RBI single to cap the inning.
Albin, Swain, and Livingston each drove in two runs. Groen and Szestowicki recorded two hits apiece, while Welshans and Daniel Perez also drove in runs.
Titus Shay and Dylan Duke closed it out with scoreless innings. Shay struck out two in a perfect eighth and has now retired all 15 batters he has faced this season, striking out nine.
La Salle and Coppin State continue the series Saturday at 1 p.m.
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