Photos Courtesy of Mark Campbell

Boxscore

NEWARK, Del. - The University of Delaware baseball team could not complete the three-game sweep against Colonial Athletic Association rival Towson as the Tigers upended the Blue Hens, 8-2, in the series finale on a breezy Sunday afternoon at Bob Hannah Stadium.

During his first at bat of the game, D.J. Long lined a single into right center to extend his hitting streak to 28 games. That equals the longest single-season streak by a Blue Hen in school history. Mike Gomez previously accomplished the feat in 1991. Carlos Alonso still holds the all-time record of 32 straight, which was completed over two seasons.

In addition to Long, the Blue Hens received a pair of hits from fellow first-year standout Hank Yates. Dave Angebranndt (top right) also knocked in a run for Delaware (18-15, 3-6 CAA) after lining a double to left center in the ninth inning during his first career at bat.

Having dropped the first two games of the series by a combined 17 runs, Towson (11-26, 6-9) came out firing on all cylinders in the early part of the game. The Tigers tossed a three-spot on the board in the first and tacked on two more in the second for a quick 5-0 lead.

After two scoreless frames, Delaware finally plated a run in the third. Long (middle right) roped a single up the middle before Pat Dameron drew a walk. With a pair of runners on, Yates smacked an RBI hit to center that brought in Long and pulled the Hens within four at 5-1.

Despite Delaware’s modest response to Towson’s early surge, the Tigers pulled away in the middle innings. A sacrifice fly by Andrew Parker in the fourth and a two-run homer by Chris Wychock in the fifth gave the visitors a comfy 8-1 advantage.

With the Tiger attack giving plenty of run support, Towson starter Austin Hurd looked sharp on the hill. The senior right-hander struck out three and scattered six hits and one run over 6.1 innings on the mound.

While Hurd was quieting the Blue Hen lineup, the Delaware bullpen matched Towson’s ace pitch-for-pitch. Redshirt freshman Kyle Thomas (bottom right) allowed just one hit while firing 2.2 scoreless innings in relief. Later, Michael O’Keeffe and Matt Harden each worked a spotless frame apiece to keep Delaware in the game.

Despite the best efforts of the bullpen, though, the Blue Hen offense remained stagnant. After sending only three hitters to the plate in the fourth, fifth, and sixth, the squad finally put a pair on base in the seventh. Unfortunately, reliever Drew Permison helped Towson escape the jam unscathed.

With one last shot, Delaware scored the squad’s second and final run in the ninth. After Dave Anderson was hit and moved to second on a wild pitch, Angebranndt lined an RBI double in the left centerfield gap to pull the squad within six.

Despite the late rally, Permison settled in and closed out the victory. Austin Hurd (2-2) earned the win for his efforts, while Eric Buckland (3-3) took the loss after allowing seven earned runs in 4.1 innings of work.

Delaware will return to the diamond on Tuesday when the team travels to Citizens Bank Park for the finals of the Liberty Bell Classic. The Hens will square off with Lehigh at 8 p.m. in the battle for local supremacy.