Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

Boxscore

NEWARK, Del. - Brian Rorick pieced together a masterful performance on the mound as the junior ace led the University of Delaware baseball team to a 9-2 victory over Colonial Athletic Association rival Old Dominion on Friday afternoon at Bob Hannah Stadium.

Rorick (at right) allowed just one run on five hits in eight solid innings on the mound. The right-hander eventually finished with nine strikeouts as the team improved to 6-0 in his starts this season.

As usual, the Delaware offense also looked sharp. The Blue Hens (14-7, 3-1 CAA) ripped three home runs as Carlos Alonso, Ryan Cuneo, and Bill Merkler all left the yard. Cuneo eventually finished the day with four hits and five RBI, while Alonso extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a solo shot in the third.

The Blue Hens opened the scoring in the second when Merkler started the frame by launching his team-leading eighth home run of the season to left center. One inning later, Alonso followed suit, punching a shot over the right centerfield fence.

Leading by two, Delaware continued to wrack up the runs in the bottom of the third. Scott Shockley started the rally with a double before Kyle Davis chased him home with a two-out single to left. After Alonso was hit by a pitch, Cuneo brought in both speedsters with a double just inside the right field line.

Holding an early five-run lead, Rorick never let ODU (6-14, 1-3) back into the game. The junior ace struck out the side in the second, blew away one each in the third and fourth, and sent a pair down swinging in the fifth. The Blue Hen standout simply silenced the Monarch bats and kept them off the board through the first seven innings of the game.

With Rorick dealing, the Delaware lineup eventually put the game out-of-reach. Cuneo led off the seventh with the team’s third solo shot of the day before Ryan Reed brought in a run with an RBI double to left.

After Old Dominion got on the board with a single run in the top of the eighth, Cuneo answered in the bottom of the frame. Following a walk to Dameron and a single by Davis, the Hens’ star first baseman lined a two-run double down the right field line.

Although the Monarchs picked up a run off the Blue Hen bullpen in the ninth, Delaware hung on for the 9-2 victory. Fittingly, after a strong pitching performance and another great day at the plate, the hosts rounded out the afternoon by flashing some leather. A crisp double-play, started with a nice effort by Davis in the hole at shortstop, closed out the game in style.

Davis finished the day with a pair of hits and two runs scored, while Reed went 2-for-4 as well.

Rorick (2-0), who also picked off his league-leading third runner of the season in the first, earned the victory with his strong effort on the mound. Brett Harris (3-2) took the loss for the Monarchs after surrendering seven earned runs in 6.1 innings of work.

Due to the impending inclement weather on Sunday, Old Dominion and Delaware will cap their three-game series tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. Both games are scheduled to go nine innings.