Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

Boxscore

CHARLESTON, S.C. -Carlos Alonso launched a grand slam to cap off a five-run rally in the second and Ryan Cuneo posted a two-run blast in the seventh, but the University of Delaware baseball team could not hold off an East Tennessee State rally that saw the squad overcome two deficits and eventually walk off with a 10-9 victory over the Blue Hens during the final day of The Citadel Memorial Classic on Sunday morning.

With his big blast, Alonso extended his career-long hitting streak to 16 games dating back to last season. He has also reached base safely in 51 consecutive contests, which spans his entire career at Delaware.

Along with Alonso’s contributions, the Blue Hens (0-3) received four hits from Cuneo (at right) and three from Dave Anderson. Steve Ulaky also posted a pair of hits and scored a run.

After Delaware jumped out to a fast start that was quickly trumped by six straight runs from East Tennessee State (2-1), the game transformed into a back-and-forth affair over the final three innings of play. Trailing 6-5 entering the top of the seventh, the Blue Hens pieced together a response.

Alonso led off the seventh with an infield single before Cuneo stepped to the plate with one out. On the second pitch he saw, the senior first baseman launched a two-run homer that recaptured the lead for UD at 7-6.

Unfortunately, Cuneo’s big blast was quickly outdone in the bottom half of the frame. After Matt Scruggs and Paul Hoilman posted singles for ETSU, cleanup hitter Derek Trent parked a three-run shot that gave the Bucs a 9-7 advantage.

As the late seesaw battle continued, the Blue Hens responded in the eighth. Anderson led off the frame with a double to right, and after advancing to third on a ground out, he came home following a sharply hit ball by Alonso that was mishandled by the Buc third baseman.

With the Hens still down by one, Hank Yates worked a walk to put a pair of runners on base. Following a pitching change, Cuneo lined a double into the right field gap that chased home Alonso to knot the game at nine.

After both teams went down quickly in their subsequent trips to the plate, the Buccaneers had the last laugh. In the bottom of the ninth, the team loaded the bases with one out after a single by Scruggs and back-to-back walks to Hoilman and Trent. With no room for error, the Blue Hens could not hang on as pinch hitter Skyler Barnett knocked in the game-winning run with an RBI fielder’s choice.

Scruggs finished the game with three hits for ETSU, while four other Buccaneers recorded two hits apiece. Scott McNally (2-0) earned the win for the squad after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Eric Buckland (0-1) took the loss for Delaware after surrendering one run over 1.1 innings of work.

In the early going, the Blue Hens looked sharp as the squad exploded for five runs in the second inning. After Ulaky singled, Anderson doubled, and D.J. Long was hit by a pitch, the team had the bases loaded with just one out. Aaron Mascoe followed with a sharp single through the left side of the infield that chased home the first run of the game.

With every base still occupied, Alonso came through with the biggest hit of the inning, launching his second career grand slam to stake Delaware a 5-0 lead. His long ball was the first slam of the season for the Hens after the team set a school-record with seven during the 2009 campaign.

Trailing by five, East Tennessee State began to chip away at its deficit. In the second inning, an RBI single by Andrew Green put the Buccaneers on the board. One frame later, a two-run shot by Hoilman pulled the squad within three at 5-3.

With momentum on its side, ETSU continued its comeback. In the bottom of the fourth, another RBI single by Green pulled the squad within one before a two-run base hit by Scruggs vaulted the Bucs into the lead with a 6-5 advantage.

Although neither team plated a run over the next two frames, the late-inning free-for-all that ensued in the seventh saw both squads score four runs over the final three frames. Despite their best efforts, however, Delaware fell just shy of picking up the team’s first victory of the season.

UD is now 0-3 for the first time since 2007. However, the team hopes to rebound as it did that year when the squad eventually caught fire and advanced to the Colonial Athletic Association championship game.

Delaware will return to action on Friday when the team travels to College Park to open a three-game set with Maryland at 3 p.m.