Photos Courtesy of Chris Mlynarczyk

Game No. 1 Boxscore

Game No. 2 Boxscore

NEWARK, Del. - Hank Yates ripped a walk-off single in a 3-2 victory over Canisius in the opener and Carlos Alonso blasted three hits in a 5-4 win in the nightcap as the University of Delaware baseball team swept a doubleheader from the Golden Griffins on Saturday afternoon at Bob Hannah Stadium.

Yates (top right) finished the opener with three hits to go along with his game-winning RBI. Alonso (middle right) also had another exceptional day, roping four hits in addition to his three runs scored in the twin bill.

Josh Dean also had a pair of hits and knocked in each of Delaware’s first two runs of the day, while D.J. Long recorded a hit in both games to extend his hitting streak to 19. That roll is not only a freshman record at UD, but it is also tied for the 11th longest single-season hitting streak by any player in program history.

Most of the action in the opener took place in the first three innings. The Hens scored in their initial trip to the plate when Alonso ripped a double to center and scored after Dean smacked a two-out single through the right side of the infield.

After Blue Hen starter Brian Rorick retired the first eight batters of the game, Canisius came through with their first run in the third. Paul Panik punched a hit up the middle before Perry Silverman lined a double to left. With two runners in scoring position, a wild pitch quickly evened the contest at one.

Delaware wasted little time breaking the deadlock in the bottom of the frame. Matt Greco reached on a Griff miscue, and Dean made them pay. With two down, the Hen outfielder launched a shot to the gap in right center and quickly raced his way to third for an RBI triple.

Back in control, Rorick took over on the mound. Over the next three innings, the senior ace struck out three and picked off his second runner of the game to keep Canisius off the board and maintain Delaware’s one-run lead.

With one last chance, the Griffs took advantage in the top of the seventh. Following a leadoff double by Shayne Wilson and a pair of walks to Drew Pettit and Jarred Flock, Canisius had the bases loaded with one out.

In a tight jam, closer Matt Harden was summoned from the bullpen. The junior right-hander looked primed to work out of the mess after making an incredible defensive play for the second out of the inning. Panik smacked a slow chopper that was destined to find open spaces between the mound and third base. Realizing the situation, Harden vaulted off the mound, made a diving play to his right, and fired a perfect strike to the plate that cut down the Canisius runner.

Despite his incredible defensive efforts, Harden could not completely work out of the jam. He hit the next batter to force in the tying run, and after the Hens went down in order in the bottom of the frame, the contest headed to extra innings.

Still on the mound, Harden was crucial on both sides of the ball in the eighth. Once he retired the Griffs quickly in the top of the inning, he came up second in the batting order in the bottom half after Delaware lost its designated hitter following a double-switch in the seventh.

Now at the plate, Harden worked a one-out walk and quickly raced his way to third following a two-base error by the Griffs. With the winning run just 90 feet away, Yates blasted a sharp single through the drawn-in infield to seal the victory at 3-2.

Harden (1-2) earned the win for his work, while Mike Goemans was handed the loss despite allowing only one earned run in a complete-game effort.

Delaware saved its best offensive performance of the day for the beginning of the nightcap. In the first, Alonso laced a single up the middle before Pat Dameron was plunked by a pitch. Ryan Cuneo followed with a tremendous three-run blast to right that gave the Hens a fast 3-0 lead.

Leading off the second, Alonso extended the advantage by launching the first pitch he saw to left for his seventh home run of the season.

With a comfortable lead, freshman pitcher Eric Buckland (bottom right) looked strong on the hill. He stormed through the order in the first three frames, struck out a pair in the fourth, and retired the side quickly in the fifth to keep Canisius off the board.

Although the Griffs finally got to Buckland in the sixth after Steve McQuail notched a two-run homer, Delaware shot back in the bottom of the frame when Alonso ripped an RBI triple just inside the rightfield line.

Trailing 5-2, Canisius answered with a single run in both the seventh and eighth to pull back within one. Despite the late run, Delaware held tough. After Nick Young was called in from the bullpen with runners on the corners and two outs in the eighth, he got out of the jam with a tricky pick-off move that caught the Canisius runner wandering a little too far off first.

One inning later, Young returned to the mound to seal the victory with a little help from his defense. After the first batter grounded out, Jarred Flock popped a bloop single into short center. Although Dean made a great diving effort, he eventually fielded the ball on a short hop, regained his footing, and fired a strike to second that nailed Flock attempting to stretch the hit into a double.

One out away from the sweep, Young caught the last batter looking to earn his first career save. Buckland (3-2) picked up the win after scattering three earned runs on four hits while striking out five in 7.2 innings of work. Chris Cox (1-2) took the loss after allowing all five runs during his six innings on the hill.

Delaware will be back in action on Tuesday when the Hens travel to Penn for the second round of the Liberty Bell Classic. Start time for that contest has been changed to 3 p.m.