La Salle didn’t just win a series at Coppin State this weekend. The Explorers controlled it — with a veteran Friday start, a bullpen-heavy Saturday, and a late-inning comeback Sunday that completed a three-game sweep and pushed them to 8–2 overall.
The weekend began with a tone-setting performance from Owen MacDonnell in Friday’s 10–2 victory. The right-hander worked seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks, striking out eight over 101 pitches. He gave La Salle exactly what a Friday starter is supposed to give: depth, tempo and a manageable pitch count that kept the bullpen quiet.
The offense backed him quickly. RBIs from Justin Szestowicki and Alec Welshans helped establish early control, and Reuben Livingston’s home run in the fifth stretched the margin. By the time MacDonnell exited, La Salle had separated and never allowed Coppin State back into it.
Saturday’s 9–6 win took a different shape. The Explorers jumped out fast — three runs in the first, two more in the second — building a 5–0 cushion behind Livingston’s two-run double, a wild pitch and a run-scoring ground-rule double from Chase Swain.
But the defining story was the bullpen. When Coppin State loaded the bases in the second inning, Hudson Narke entered protecting a shrinking lead and induced a 1-2-3 double play to escape the jam. He then worked three scoreless innings to stabilize the middle frames and earned the win. Connor Collora added two scoreless innings, working through traffic in both the sixth and seventh. La Salle pieced together the final outs to close it out. It wasn’t tidy — but it was composed.
Sunday’s finale required yet another gear. La Salle trailed early and didn’t score until the fifth inning, but the lineup came alive late in an 8–7 victory that completed the sweep.
Freshman Michael Olender delivered the pivotal moment in the sixth inning with the first hit of his collegiate career — a go-ahead RBI single that put La Salle in front 4–3. Shortly after, Jayden Novak’s two-run double widened the margin, part of a three-RBI afternoon for Novak.
Coppin State made it uncomfortable in the eighth, plating three runs to pull within one. The defensive play of the day followed: Novak threw out the potential tying run attempting to steal second — a critical caught-stealing that preserved the lead. Titus Shay recorded the final three outs for his fourth scoreless appearance of the season, sealing the sweep.
Across three days, La Salle showed three different winning templates: A dominant, length-providing Friday starter, a bullpen rescue operation in the middle game, and a late-inning offensive surge paired with situational defense in the finale.
The offense produced 27 runs over the series, but the more telling sign may be how the Explorers handled leverage. They protected early leads. They escaped bases-loaded trouble. They responded when trailing. They executed defensively with the tying run in motion.
Most importantly, they stacked results. According to the program’s official recaps, this marks La Salle’s third consecutive weekend series sweep to open the season, a statement of consistency more than flash.
At 8–2, the Explorers aren’t just winning games — they’re demonstrating versatility. The rotation provided length. The bullpen absorbed pressure. The lineup delivered timely swings from veterans and freshmen alike.
It’s early March, but through three weekends, La Salle has looked like a club that understands how to close out a series — and this weekend at Coppin State reinforced that identity.
The Explorers head to No. 11 Clemson to open a four-game set on Friday.
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