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Delaware 21, Towson 14
Delaware 10, Towson 6
May 13, 2000

Slugging Blue Hens Sweep Towson; Earn America East Regular Season Title

TOWSON, MD – The University of Delaware baseball team clinched its sixth America East regular season title in the last seven years by outslugging host Towson University in a doubleheader sweep Saturday at Burdick Field.

OF Reid Gorecki
The Blue Hens (33-17, 18-4 America East) outslugged the defending regular season champion Tigers (30-20-1, 18-8) 21-14 in the first game then overcame a 5-0 deficit and a 45-minute lightning delay to win the nightcap 10-6. The two teams will close out the regular season with a 12 noon doubleheader Sunday at Burdick Field.

The America East Tournament will begin this Thursday, May 18 at Frawley Stadium in Wilmington, DE with the Blue Hens as the top seed. The Hens downed Towson in the championship game last season to earn the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

OF Chris Kolodzey
In the opener Saturday, Delaware banged out 25 hits and scored a season-high 21 runs to down Towson and ace pitcher Bryan Simmering. The Hens broke a 7-7 tie with a six-run sixth inning and then after Towson answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning, scored eight in the seventh to put the game away.

Rightfielder Chris Kolodzey, catcher John Schneider, first baseman Steve Harden, and shortstop Kris Dufner all hit home runs for the Blue Hens with leftfielder Reid Gorecki, second baseman Andrew Salvo, third baseman Peter Maestrales, and Schneider each knocking in three runs apiece. Dufner went 5 for 5 with three runs and two RBI.

Towson tagged Blue Hen ace Rich McGuire for 10 hits and seven runs in the 3.2 innings while Delaware chased Towson’s Simmering for 14 hits and nine runs in five innings. Delaware freshman Brian Ziegler (2-1) picked up the win for the Blue Hens in relief.

In the nightcap, Towson jumped out to a 5-0 lead after four innings, but the Hens scored two in the fifth, one in the sixth, and exploded for seven runs in the seventh to clinch the win at the league regular season title.

Gorecki, Kolodzay, Maestrales, and Schneider each hit home runs for the Hens, who banged out 14 hits. Kolodzey and Schneider, who also added a double, each knocked in two runs.

Salvo, who was 3 for 4, and Gorecki each knocked in two runs in the pivotal seventh inning. Maestrales’ home run gave him a team-high 12 on the season while Kolodzey upped his home run count to 11. Salvo’s 5 for 8 day kept him above .400 (.410) for the season. Senior Dave Mullin went the distance for the win for the Hens, scattering 14 hits and allowing six earned runs to improve to 9-4 on the season.

Mike Dubansky went 3 for 4 with a home run and three RBI for Towson. Starter Chris Russ (4-4) took the loss, allowing 10 runs in 6.2 innings.

AGATE (No Full Boxes Available)

Game 1

Delaware….121 126 8 – 21 –25 – 2
Towson……031 304 3 – 14 – 18 – 2

McGuire, Ziegler (4), Romond (5), Harden (6) and Schneider; Simmering, Brady (6), Caslin (7), Wetzel (7), Sauser (7), and Stidham; 2B: D – Gorecki, Vukovich; T – Sandner, Kittelberger, Williams, Pritchard; 3B: T – Davies, Stidham, Williams, Dubansky; HR: D – Kolodzey, Schneider, Harden, Dufner; T – Bacon; SB: D – Gorecki, Salvo, Kolodzey: WP: Ziegler (2-1); LP: Simmering (na).

Game 2

Delaware…..000 021 7 – 10 –14 – 1
Towson……130 100 1 – 6 – 14 – 0

Mullin and Schneider; Russ, Feuerherd (7) and Rhodes; 2B: D – Fahy, Salvo, Schneider, Harden; T – Sandner; 3B – T – Dubansky; HR: D – Gorecki, Kolodzey, Maestrales, Schneider; T – Dubansky, Bacon, Trela; SB: D – Salvo; WP: Mullin (9-4); LP: Russ (4-4); Attendance: 75.

 - DDD -