Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

Boxscore

AMBLER, Pa. - The University of Delaware baseball team snapped its six-game skid after using a late surge to send the game into extra innings before posting a four-run rally in the 12th to complete a 9-6 victory over Temple during a marathon at Skip Wilson Field on Tuesday afternoon.

Steve Ulaky (at right) and Ryan Cuneo both had three hits to lead Delaware (21-21). Ulaky also scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 12th to help close out the victory, while Cuneo launched a two-run home run in the third to open the scoring against Temple (8-32).

After Delaware overcame an early three-run deficit to send the game into extra innings, neither squad could get a rally going again until the Hens broke free in the 12th. Following back-to-back singles by Ulaky and Hank Yates, a wild pitch chased in the first run to break the tie. Looking for some breathing room, Dave Anderson quickly came through with a one-out single to center that brought in Yates.

Still not comfortable, Delaware continued its surge. Josh Dean lofted a sacrifice fly to right before Cuneo was intentionally walked to load the bases. With no room for error, Temple plunked Pat Dameron with a pitch to drive in the final run of the inning that gave UD a 9-5 advantage.

Three outs away from victory, the Owls drew a pair of walks to start the inning before Delaware summoned staff ace Brian Rorick from the bullpen. Although a Blue Hen error allowed Temple to plate one run, Rorick retired three of the four batters he faced to seal the win.

Nick Stampone (1-0) picked up the victory for UD after allowing only an unearned run in one inning of work. Click (0-2) was handed the loss after giving up four runs in his inning on the mound.

The victory was the first for Delaware since April 21 when the squad posted a dominating 12-0 win over the same Temple squad. The Hens improved to 4-0 against Big Five opponents this season with only a May 18 game against Saint Joseph’s remaining on the schedule.

Early on in the contest, Temple got on the board quickly as the hosts jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first. Byron McKoy led off with a single and scored after Delaware flipped a double play. Later, following a hit by Ryan Ferguson and a Blue Hen miscue, the Owls scored their second run on an RBI knock by Taylor Juran.

Two innings later, Delaware fired back. In the top of the third, Dean doubled before Cuneo smashed a two-run blast to right for his 10th home run of the season. That shot also marked the 34th of his career, which moved him into a tie for ninth place on the program’s career home runs list.

With the game deadlocked at two, the bullpens took over for a brief time. Delaware’s Devon Pearson fired a pair of shutout innings in the third and fourth, while a combination of three Temple relievers kept the Hens quiet in the middle innings.

After the Owl relief effort helped the team escape a one-out, bases loaded jam without surrendering a run in the top of the fifth, the squad built upon the momentum in the bottom half. Following back-to-back doubles by Ferguson and Steve Nikorak, Juran punched a two-run single back up the middle that secured a 4-2 lead for Temple.

Later, with the Hens still scuffling at the plate, the Owls extended their lead in the sixth. The hosts loaded the bases with just one out before Ferguson drew a free pass to extend the lead to three. With the bases still jammed, Delaware got out of the inning after Michael O’Keeffe induced a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat.

Staring squarely at their largest deficit of the day, the Hens pieced together a response. After Dean led off with a single to left, Cuneo fired a hit to right that was mishandled by the Owls and allowed Dean to come all the way around to score. Later, Ulaky lofted a sacrifice fly to center that chased in Cuneo and pulled UD within one at 5-4.

Back in the game, Delaware retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a pair of strikeouts by O’Keeffe. Within striking distance, the squad came back in the eighth to even the score at five following a double by D.J. Long and a pinch-hit RBI single off the bat of Chris Branigan.

After that point, pitching and defense took over. Delaware’s Kyle Thomas and Temple’s Ryan Thomas each fired three scoreless innings of relief to keep the game knotted. Neither team managed to plate another run until Delaware finally broke through again in the top of the 12th to secure the come-from-behind victory.

Delaware will be back in action on Friday when the team returns home for the start of a three-game series with Hofstra at 3 p.m.