Center Valley, PA, (April 28, 2006) – Senior Jon Pallone (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) pitched 7.1 strong innings allowing just two earned runs and leading the DeSales University baseball team to a very important Freedom Conference win over FDU-Florham, 9-3, on a picture perfect day at Butz Field.
The win moves DSU (18-15, 8-6 Freedom) one step closer to earning a Freedom Conference playoff berth. The Bulldogs still have some work to do this weekend with two games at FDU-Florham on Saturday and two on Sunday at The University of Scranton. A win in all four games assures DSU of earning the #1 seed for next weekend’s Freedom Conference playoffs but DeSales can still finish anywhere from first to fifth in the standings. The top four teams make the playoffs.
Pallone, the Cambridge Search Player of the Game, was outstanding in improving to 3-1 on the season allowing just seven hits and striking out three. He allowed an unearned run in the first inning and two more runs in the third but was never threatened again until the 8th when he loaded the bases with one out. Sophomore Mike Concilio (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) came in relief and struck out the first batter he faced and got the third out on a pop up to shortstop to end the Devil (18-15, 11-5 Freedom) rally.
DeSales wasted no time taking the lead scoring five times in the first inning on five hits. Freshman Matt Johanson (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) had an RBI sacrifice fly, sophomore Scott Matejicka (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) stroked a two-out RBI single, freshman John Pisker (Oley, PA/Oley Valley) knocked in two runs with a double to right-center field and freshman Matt Connors (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) knocked in Pisker with a single to right field.
The Bulldogs added one more run in the third on a Matejicka triple and a throwing error by the FDU shortstop and padded the three-run lead with three more runs in the fifth on a two-RBI double from freshman Greg Treat (Concord, NH/Concord) and an RBI single from sophomore Andrew Heard (Alexandria, VA/Hayfield).
All nine Bulldog starters had hits while Treat and fellow freshman Mike Bianca (Ellicott City, MD/Mt. St. Joseph) each had three base knocks to lead the offensive attack.
DSU returns to action on Saturday as they travel to Madison, NJ for the final two games of its three-game set with FDU-Florham beginning at 1:00 pm.
