Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

Boxscore

NORFOLK, Va. -Strong pitching and an excellent offensive attack carried Old Dominion to an 11-2 victory over the University of Delaware baseball team during a Colonial Athletic Association showdown on Saturday afternoon at Bud Metheny Stadium.

Early damage proved costly once again for Delaware (23-24, 5-15 CAA) as the team fell behind by three in the first and never regained its footing. With the victory, Old Dominion (21-29, 8-12) captured its fifth straight contest against the Hens in Norfolk dating back to 2007.

Coming into the game ranked second in the conference in batting average, the potent Blue Hen assault was held in check by Monarch starter Chris Boggs, who struck out eight in a complete game effort. Pat Dameron (at right) still posted three hits against the ODU ace, while Dave Anderson and Matt Greco added two apiece. Ryan Cuneo also affirmed his place as one of the top run-producers in the CAA with his team-leading 61st RBI.

Right out of the gate, ODU tossed three runs on the board in the first on an RBI knock by Chris Buss and a two-run double by John Malbon. Two innings later, Buss drove in another run with a curling double to right that landed inside the foul line before Josh Wright capped the surge with an RBI single to center that gave the squad a fast 5-0 advantage.

Energized by a slew of early runs, the Monarchs continued their offensive display in the fourth. Hernandez drove in a run with a single to center before Buss collected his third RBI of the game on a base hit through the right side of the infield.

Trailing 7-0, Delaware tried to piece together a spectacular bid to pull back into the game. The squad loaded the bases with just one out before Dameron ripped a bullet to right that chased in the squad’s first run. Later, Cuneo grounded into a fielder’s choice that allowed Greco to score from third.

Although the Hens were able to crack the scoreboard, their modest rally was not enough to carry them back into the game. In the sixth, Old Dominion answered with another RBI by Buss to give the squad a six-run edge at 8-2.

Riding a wave of momentum, the Monarchs tacked three more runs on the board in the eighth. Chris Baker opened the scoring with an RBI double before Buss came back to cap off an incredible day at the plate with a two-run single that gave the squad an 11-2 edge.

In the end, Buss finished 4-for-5 with two runs scored and six RBI. Four other Monarchs also posted multiple hits in the game, including Malbon who had two hits and a pair of RBI.

After holding the Blue Hen attack real quiet during a stellar nine innings on the mound, Chris Boggs (1-5) picked up the victory. Matt Soren (2-2) was handed the loss for Delaware after surrendering five runs, but only two earned, in 2.1 innings of work.

The Hens and Monarchs will be back in action on Sunday at 1 p.m. when the teams wrap up their three-game series.