Photos Courtesy of Chris Mlynarczyk

Boxscore

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The University of Delaware baseball team captured its first Liberty Bell Classic championship in eight years as the Blue Hens capitalized on seven runs in the first three innings to pull away quickly and ease into a 10-7 victory over Lehigh on Tuesday evening at Citizens Bank Park.

The championship was the seventh in the history of the tournament for Delaware (19-15). That marks the most by any school in the 19-year history of the event.

Josh Dean (top right) led Delaware with a 4-fo-4 performance to go along with two runs scored and a pair of steals. Carlos Alonso also notched three hits and scored a run, while Aaron Mascoe and Ryan Cuneo each clubbed home runs.

During the game, freshman second baseman D.J. Long (middle right) also set a new single-season hitting streak record with a line drive double into right center during the first inning. With that hit, he extended his streak to 29 games, which is the longest single-season roll in the 128-year history of the Blue Hen baseball program. The previous mark of 28 was set by Mike Gomez in 1991.

Overall, Alonso still holds the all-time hitting streak record of 32, which was set over the span of two seasons. Long now holds the second spot on the all-time list.

In the early going, the Blue Hens took full advantage of its potent lineup to grab a quick lead. During the first frame, Long roped a one-out double and came scampering home on an RBI single by Pat Dameron.

One inning later, the squad capitalized on another two-base hit as Dean smacked a lead-off double into right center before Dave Anderson eventually drove him in with an RBI groundout. With two down, Alonso kept the early rally going after lining a run-scoring single through the left side of the infield.

Still riding a wave of momentum, Delaware kept up the attack in the third with a huge four-run surge. A single by Cuneo and a Mountain Hawk miscue put a pair of Blue Hens on base before Dean and Steve Ulaky roped back-to-back RBI singles.

Later, after Dean and Ulaky each stole a base, Anderson lined a single back up the middle that chased in both runners and gave the squad a comfy 7-0 lead.

With the offense doing its normal daily damage, Blue Hen starter Nick Young (bottom right) looked sharp on the hill. The junior right-hander struck out six during his four innings of work. Although Lehigh scratched out two runs in the third aided by a Delaware error, Young handed the ball off to the bullpen with a five-run advantage.

After reliever Kyle Thomas picked up where Young left off with two strikeouts in the bottom of the fifth, Delaware tacked two more runs on the board in the sixth. Mascoe lined a one-out solo home run into the flowerbed just beyond the leftfield fence. Alonso followed with a single to right, advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt, and scored when Long lined his second base hit of the game to center.

Lehigh answered with a run in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Billy Goldman to pull the squad back within six at 9-3. Then, two innings later, the Mountain Hawks came soaring back into the game.

In the bottom of the eighth, Delaware recorded two quick outs before Devon Pearson got Goldman to strike out swinging. However, on the play, the ball got away from Mascoe and allowed Goldman to reach base. With new life, Lehigh took full advantage as Chad Warga poked an RBI single to center before Brendan McGaheran drove a three-run double to right center to cut the Mountain Hawks’ deficit to two at 9-7.

With Lehigh back in the game, Cuneo responded emphatically in the top of the ninth. The senior first baseman clubbed a long solo blast that landed deep in the seats in right and allowed Delaware to regain its three-run lead.

Three outs away from victory, Brian Rorick slammed the door shut. The senior ace closed out the game with two strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth to pick up his first career save. Kyle Thomas (3-0) earned the victory for the Hens after striking out two in two innings of relief.

Kevin Mihalik (1-4) suffered the loss after allowing seven runs, including six earned, on eight hits in 2.1 innings of work.

Delaware will be back action tomorrow when the team returns home to host Temple at 3 p.m.