Baseball: La Salle wins Liberty Bell title

By Ben Rosehart
Senior Staff Writer
April 12, 2006

It was a night of firsts for the La Salle Explorers when they faced the Lafayette Leopards in the 15th annual Liberty Bell Classic Championship game on Tuesday, April 11. Not only was it the first appearance for both teams in the championship game, but it was also the Explorers’ first opportunity to play under the lights at Citizens Bank Park.

Before the game, Explorer sophomore Dennis Burge spoke of another first: hearing the famous PA announcer Dan Baker say his name over the loudspeaker.

“It’ll be really exciting and an honor,” Burge said. “I’ve heard him announce great players playing for the [Phillies] and Eagles, and it’ll be really cool to hear him announce me and my teammates’ names.”

While each player in uniform on both sides was able to walk away from the game with that experience, only Burge was able to say that his game-tying double in the bottom of the ninth helped propel the Explorers to an improbable come-from-behind 6-5 victory.

La Salle junior catcher Rich Prall went 3 for 5, with his third hit knocking in Burge for the winning run. After the hit, the Explorers’ bench emptied, as the players mobbed each other at home plate in celebration of their first Liberty Bell Classic championship.

Sophomore designated hitter Mike Dertouzos will also never forget the night he rang the bell at Citizens Bank Park.

With La Salle down 3-0 in the bottom of the second, Dertouzos crushed a two-run homer on the first pitch he saw from Lafayette starter Steve Roberts. Dertouzos’ shot easily cleared the flowerbed over the Legg Mason sign in left field, and the red, white and blue lights on the Liberty Bell rang just as if Pat Burrell had answered the call. Sophomore John Rickards also scored on the blast, after reaching on an error by Leopards’ shortstop Ian Law.

La Salle’s starter, sophomore Brandon Geib, struggled in the first inning, as the Leopards loaded the bases with one out. With Geib falling behind in the pitch count, the Leopards were able to wait for their pitches and build a 2-0 lead in the first behind three singles and a sacrifice fly. They would add another unearned run in the second, as well as a run each in both the fourth and fifth innings, stretching their lead to 5-2.

After two previous groundouts to second base, Prall hit an RBI single to right field, scoring senior Mike Essery and cutting the deficit to two in the bottom of the fifth inning. But the game-winner in the ninth is the one everybody will remember.

rosehab1@lasalle.edu