Photos Courtesy of Brian Miller

Boxscore

WILMINGTON, N.C. –Backed by an outstanding performance from the bottom of the batting order, the University of Delaware baseball team advanced to the third day of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament with a 9-5 victory over Northeastern on Thursday afternoon at Brooks Field.

Pat Dameron (top right), Jared Olson (middle right), and Kyle Davis combined to hit three home runs with six RBI and four runs scored out of the last three spots in the Delaware lineup. Carlos Alonso also continued his outstanding season at the top of the order as the lead-off hitter went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.

“Obviously, the bottom of the order was important with Dameron, Olson, and Davis all hitting home runs,” said head coach Jim Sherman. “If you’re going to win, you’ve got to get production from guys who you don’t depend on as much. I think that was the key to the game right there.”

With the victory, the Blue Hens (28-19) will continue their quest for a CAA title tomorrow against UNC Wilmington at 12 noon.

Delaware opened the scoring in the bottom half of the first after the squad worked out of a minor jam in the top of the inning following two excellent defensive plays by Davis and Brad Miller (bottom right). In the first, Alonso reached for the 47th straight game after starting the rally with a looping double to right. Later, he moved to third on a groundout by Ryan Cuneo and scored when Chris Nehl poked a ball to short.

Holding an early lead, the Blue Hens quickly built on their advantage in the second. Following a one-out double by Scott Shockley, Dameron scalded a two-run shot to right that gave the squad a 3-0 edge.

Backed by a strong offensive showing in the early going, Miller cruised on the mound. He retired the side in order in the second, third, and fourth while receiving nice help from his defense. In the fourth, Shockley made a great diving catch on a sinking liner in center before Davis ended the inning with a nice grab on a bullet back up the middle.

Northeastern (28-25) eventually got on the board in the top of the fifth. After Miller retired 11 straight Huskies, Frank Pesanello broke the streak with a base hit before Brendan Stokes also recorded a single. Following a Blue Hen miscue on a sacrifice bunt attempt, Northeastern loaded the bases with no outs.

With no room on the base paths, Miller and David Gustafson had an impressive battle in a crucial situation. The Husky centerfielder fell behind 0-2, then fouled off pitch-after-pitch before working the count full. Gustafson eventually won the fight, shooting a two-run single back up the middle that pulled Northeastern back within one at 3-2.

Still in good position to continue the rally with runners on first and second with no one down, Northeastern laid down a sacrifice bunt to put a pair in scoring position. The Blue Hens escaped the jam, however, as Miller made a great play on a ball smacked back through the box and later caught Frank Compagnone looking at strike three.

With Northeastern clawing its way back into the game, the Delaware lineup quickly responded and was assisted in its effort by four errors from the Huskies. Davis started the rally with a one-out solo home run to right center. Alonso followed with a beautiful bunt single before hustling his way around to third on a failed pickoff attempt.

Northeastern brought its defense in to prevent any further damage, but Cuneo lined a shot to short that was mishandled and allowed Alonso to come in. On the same play, Cuneo moved to second after the throw to first sailed into foul territory. Later, he came around to score when the Huskies uncorked another errant toss to first.

Leading 6-2, Delaware saw Northeastern chip its deficit down to three when James Donaldson hit a solo home run to right in the top of the sixth.

As they had all day, the Blue Hens quickly answered. After Shockley reached on the Huskies’ fifth error of the game, Dameron lifted a single to right. Olson followed with a towering blast to rightfield that landed on the practice field well behind the stadium and gave the squad a 9-3 advantage.

Although Northeastern came back with a pair in the top of the seventh to pull within four at 9-5, Corey Crispell, who was handed the loss in yesterday’s contest, took over on the mound for the Hens and looked sharp. Over the final two innings of play, the sophomore right-hander kept the Huskies off the board to seal the four-run victory.

“Brad Miller obviously gave us a great outing through the first six innings before hitting the wall a little bit in the seventh,” said Sherman. “His outing was a big plus. Then, Crispell coming in and just shutting the door over the last two innings was outstanding, because he was coming off a tough day yesterday.”

Miller (5-5) earned the win after scattering eight hits with four strikeouts over seven innings of work. Jeff Thomson (6-5) took the loss after surrendering nine runs, but only six earned, over his five innings on the mound.

Along with the sluggers at the bottom of the order, Shockley also had a strong day. The senior co-captain went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and added the great defensive play in the fourth.

Northeastern was led by David Gustafson, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI. James Donaldson and Brendan Stokes also had two hits in the losing effort.