photo courtesy of Mark Campbell

Delaware vs. Kent State Boxscore

Delaware vs. Marshall Boxscore

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- The University of Delaware softball team fell to Kent State, 7-5, and the host Thundering Herd, 13-3 in five innings, Saturday on the second day of the Marshall Invitational.

In the Blue Hens’ first game of the day Kent State, which improved to 4-9 on the year, jumped in front by scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning. Walks by Leah Archual and Beth Cinadr were followed by a single up the middle by Jessica Carmichael, loading the bases for the Golden Flashes with one out. Blue Hen starting pitcher Anne Marie Pagano then walked Ashlee Hein to force home the game’s first run, while a single to centerfield by Mary Holt made it a 2-0 game.

Pagano then retired Alyssa Frobase on a flyout for the second out of the inning, but Heather Duhon and Holly Finchum each worked bases on balls, forcing home two runs to make it a 4-0 game. Alexa Baldasare then replaced Pagano in the circle for the Blue Hens, but she allowed a two-run single to Archual in her collegiate debut.

Delaware, which is now 2-9 on the season, got on the board in the second inning as Shanette White led off with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Michelle Grap. White then moved to third on a groundout by Emily Wilcox and scored when Bertie Lake reached on an error by Duhon at second base.

In the top of the third Blue Hen freshman Jenny Richards drilled a home run to rightfield, the first of her career, to cut the Kent State lead to 6-2.

Delaware then pulled within a run by scoring three times in the fourth inning. Wilcox led off by reaching on an error, and she advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Lake. Rachel Jones (at right) then walked, and Wilcox went to third on a wild pitch to put runners on the corner. Danielle Abernathy then replaced Golden Flashes starter Maleeya Coleman in the circle, but Gina Knutson greeted her by stroking a double to rightfield, driving home Wilcox and moving Jones to third.

Richards then walked to load the bases, and pinch hitter Mary Ann Magee followed with a single to leftfield. Jones scored on the single, while Knutson crossed the plate on an error by Kent State leftfielder Lauren Grimes as Delaware closed to within a run. However Abernathy got Cecile Egan to bounce into an inning-ending double play as Delaware could not push across the tying run.

Meanwhile Baldasare kept the Golden Flashes off the board until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Duhon led off the frame with a homer to add an insurance run for Kent State.

Kylie Reynolds then retired the Blue Hens in order in the top of the seventh to record her second save of the year.

Abernathy, who allowed one unearned run in 1.2 innings of work, improved to 2-1 for Kent State. Pagano dropped to 1-3 for the Blue Hens after allowing six earned runs on two hits with five walks in two-thirds of an inning, while Baldasare gave up one run on five hits in 5.1 frames of relief.

In Delaware’s second game on Saturday, Marshall put the contest away early by scoring 11 runs in the bottom of the first inning. Rebecca Gamby opened the scoring by delivering a bases loaded single to drive home a pair, while a two-run double by Victoria Marvin made it a 4-0 game.

Amanda Stacevicz then replaced Lake in the circle, but she allowed an RBI single to Jazmine Valle and a run-scoring double to Alianna Telles. Caitlyn Jackson later slammed a three-run homer for Marshall while Melanie Stohr added a solo blast to cap the inning.

The Thundering Herd, who improved to 11-5, added a pair of runs in the second on an RBI double by Valle and an RBI single by Telles.

After Egan and Magee both reached on errors to begin the top of the fourth, Grap drilled a three-run homer to leftcenter to put the Blue Hens on the board. The longball was the third of the season for Grap, whose 12 career homers are just four shy of the UD career record.

Lake, who fell to 1-2, was charged with seven runs, four earned, on five hits in a third of an inning, while Stacevicz allowed four unearned runs in a third of an inning. Baldasare gave up two earned runs on four hits in 3.1 innings of work, while Marshall starter Rachel Rillo improved to 2-0 after she gave up three runs in two innings of relief.

Delaware concludes play at the Marshall Invitational on Sunday when the Blue Hens face Cleveland State at 10 a.m.