DJ Long's RBI Single in 14th Inning Gives Delaware Baseball First Win of Season, 3-1, over UNC Greensboro
February 20, 2011
Photos Courtesy of Mark Campbell
_lg.jpg)
• Boxscore
GREENSBORO, N.C. - - A two-out, bases empty rally turned into a two run top of the 14th to send the University of Delaware baseball team to its first victory in 2011, as they defeated UNC Greensboro 3-1 on Sunday afternoon.
Senior Aaron Mascoe started the rally with a two-out single to right field. After Dave Anderson was hit by a pitch, DJ Long (at right) sent a pitch back up the middle, allowing Mascoe to score the eventual game-winning run. Pat Dameron added an insurance run with a single to right, scoring Anderson to round out the game.
Delaware (1-2) junior Devon Pearson pitched six innings, allowing six hits while only giving up one run. Freshman Chad Kuhl made his Delaware debut pitching four shutout innings of relief, allowing two hits and striking out three batters. Stephen Richter earned his first win of the season after pitching 3.1 innings without allowing a run.
The teams traded zeroes from the fourth through the 13th innings, keeping the score knotted at 1-1. Both starters pitched the first six innings before handing it over to the bullpen. UNC Greensboro’s (2-1) bullpen performed as well as the Blue Hens, giving up six hits through the final eight innings. Delaware’s bullpen gave up two hits while striking out five on the afternoon.
The Spartans opened the scoring in the second, but the damage was quickly taken care before a rally was started. After getting the first two batters out, Matt Crump hit a solo homerun to left field, giving the Spartans the lead. But Pearson quickly got the next batter to fly out, ending the inning with only the one run.
The Blue Hens promptly responded with a run of their own in the top half of the third. With one out, Mascoe roped a double to left center field. Anderson reached on a fielder’s choice as Mascoe moved to third on a throwing error by Kris Richards. Long knocked in his first runner of the game, hitting a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Mascoe.
The Spartans threatened to add runs on multiple occasions, but the Blue Hen defense denied all chances. In the third, with runners on the corners and one man out, the Spartans attempted to steal second. As the runner was attempting to steal, the runner on third took off for home, but a relay from Anderson to Mascoe cut the runner down at the plate.
In the seventh inning, the leadoff hitter singled to right field to start off the frame. After a walk put runners on first and second with one out, Kuhl induced a double play ball, ending the inning with a 4-6-3 double play.
UNCG could have ended the contest in the 11th with a runner on third and only one out. The coaches (head coach Jim Sherman was ejected with one out in the seventh) played the matchups, as the Blue Hens brought in relievers to face one batter each, as Brandon Hinkle replaced Michael O’Keeffe and got the second out with a short fly ball to right. Then Richter came in and got Crump to fly out as well, ending the threat.
Delaware had a chance in the 13th to put a few runs on the board, but were shutout once again. After loading the bases as the first three batters walked, UNCG got out of the inning with a foul out, a strike out, and a fielder’s choice.
But the Blue Hens were able to cross the plate in the 14th with the two runs, setting up Richter for the victory.
Richter got the first two batters out on a groundball and a pop up to Long at second base. After a walk to Crump, Richter ended the game with another ground ball as Anderson tossed it to Long at second for the force out.
Long finished with three hits and two RBI’s while Dameron, Logan Gallagher and Mascoe each contributed two hits apiece.
The Blue Hens travel across the country next weekend as they head to square off against National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association preseason ranked no. 11 Arizona State starting on Friday. The first pitch on Friday is schedule for 8:30 p.m. ET.
AGATE:
Delaware………. 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 - 3 9 0
UNCG……...…..0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 8 1
E - Richards. DP - Delaware 1; UNCG 1. LOB - Delaware 12; UNCG 10. 2B - Mascoe. HR - Crump. HBP - Anderson. SH - Martin. SF - Long. SB - Quinones.
Win - Richter (1-0). Loss - Schultz (0-1). Save - None.
Back To Baseball Home Baseball Story Archive
