Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

Boxscore

NORRISTOWN, Pa. - The University of Delaware baseball team advanced to the finals of the Liberty Bell Classic after surviving a late scare from Saint Joseph’s to post a 12-9 victory over the Hawks at Latshaw-McCarthy Field on Tuesday afternoon.

With the win, the Blue Hens will now face Villanova, who defeated Lehigh, 8-1, in the other semifinal contest, at Citizens Bank Park next Tuesday. The championship game is slated to begin at 8 p.m.

It marks the first time since 2002 that the Blue Hens have advanced to the finals of the Liberty Bell Classic. The team had won six titles in the first 11 years of the tournament but failed to make the championship game during each of the past six seasons.

As the team has done all year, Delaware (19-10) relied on a strong offensive attack to pull out the victory. Four Blue Hens blasted home runs, including Carlos Alonso (at right) who eventually finished the day with two hits and three runs scored.

Delaware stormed out of the gate in the first, plating six runs to grab a commanding early lead. After Alonso opened the game with a single to left center, Ryan Cuneo and Chris Nehl blasted back-to-back home runs to spot the team a 3-0 advantage.

Following the first out of the inning, the Hens quickly loaded the bases before Pat Dameron ripped a two-run single through the right side of the infield. Kyle Davis followed with his own base hit that drove in Scott Shockley to cap the early scoring.

Although Saint Joseph’s (10-16-1) got on the board with one in the bottom of the second, Alonso scored his second run of the game during Delaware’s next trip to the plate when Cuneo drove him in with a sacrifice fly to right.

Two innings later, Cuneo returned to spot the team an 8-1 lead after the Hens’ first baseman was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a walk by Nehl, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and came home on a sacrifice fly by Bill Merkler.

The Hawks looked primed to answer with a big rally in the bottom of the fifth when the squad loaded the bases with no outs. However, Blue Hen starter Devon Pearson worked out of the jam with minimal damage as the freshman southpaw struck out the next two hitters before Saint Joseph’s plated a single run on a hit by Mike Plakis.

With the team’s lead down to six at 8-2, Delaware quickly lit up the scoreboard with three more runs in the sixth. After Dameron and Davis both drew two-out walks, Alonso followed with a key three-run blast to left field that proved to be vitally important as Saint Joseph’s came storming back in the bottom of the frame.

After the Hens went to the bullpen in the sixth, the Hawks greeted the Delaware relief effort with a six-run rally. Dewey Oriente kicked off the scoring with a two-run single before Brian Hartsell drove him in with an infield hit. Later, Mike Coleman added an RBI fielder’s choice and Mike Plakis drove in two with a double that pulled the hosts back within three at 11-8.

With momentum slowly slipping away, Delaware received a much-needed boost from catcher Ryan Reed, who ripped a solo shot to left that secured a four-run advantage.

Leading 12-8, Matt Harden settled in on the mound, putting Saint Joseph’s down quickly in the bottom of the seventh. Corey Crispell followed with a perfect eighth before allowing just one run in the ninth to seal the three-run victory.

Pearson (1-2) earned his first collegiate win after scattering five hits while striking out six in five innings of work. Quentin Farr took the loss for the Hawks.

Delaware will return to action tomorrow when the team travels back to Norristown to battle Saint Joseph’s at 3 p.m.