University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Baseball Takes Second Straight From Old Dominion, 6-2, Behind Crispell?s Strong Outing
3/10/2012 4:15:00 PM | Baseball
NORFOLK, Va. -- Blue Hen senior righthander Corey Crispell allowed just one earned run in 7.1 strong innings while classmate Devon Pearson fired an inning and two-thirds of hitless relief as the University of Delaware baseball team won its second consecutive game over Old Dominion by defeating the Monarchs, 6-2, Saturday afternoon at the Bud Matheny Baseball Complex.
Junior designated hitter Chris Branigan led the way offensively by finishing 3 for 4 with two RBI and a run scored for the Blue Hens, who improved to 7-8 overall and 2-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Freshman leftfielder Tyler Powell posted two doubles and scored twice for Delaware, while freshman first baseman Alex Maruri went 1 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Crispell (at right) was charged with two runs, one earned, on four hits while striking out five as he improved to 1-1 on the season. Pearson earned his first save of the campaign after working out of a second and third, one out jam in the eighth inning before tossing a perfect ninth. Old Dominion starter Ben Tomchick fell to 0-2 after allowing four earned runs on six hits in four innings of work for the Monarchs, who dropped to 3-10 overall and 0-2 in league play.
The Blue Hens would score all the runs they would need in the top of the second by pushing across three runs. Maruri opened the rally with a walk, while Powell followed with a double down the leftfield line to put runners on second and third. Branigan then delivered an RBI single to left to put Delaware on the board, while Powell then scored on a double steal to make it a 2-0 game. Brock Niggebrugge followed with a ringing double down the leftfield line, driving home Branigan to put Delaware up by three early runs.
The Blue Hens tacked on a run in the third when Powell doubled down the rightfield line with two outs and came around to score on a single to center by Branigan, before the Monarchs answered with a pair during the bottom half. Josh Eldridge led off with a double to right, and after Brent Frazier reached on an error by Blue Hen second baseman D.J. Long, Eldridge scored on a wild pitch. Crispell rebounded to strike out the Monarchs' Brandon Shelton, but Shawn Sizemore followed with an RBI single to left, chasing home Frazier to make it a 4-2 contest.
Delaware added a run during the fifth when Ryan Hartley delivered a run-scoring single to left to score Maruri, while Crispell worked out of a bases loaded jam during the bottom of the frame by striking out Josh Wright.
The Blue Hens maintained their 5-2 cushion until the bottom of the eighth, when Sizemore led off by reaching on an error by Niggebrugge at shortstop and one later Wright doubled to left. However Pearson then took over on the mound, and after striking out Chris Baker, he got Josh Tutwiler to line out to third to escape the jam.
Delaware tacked on an insurance run in the ninth when Long doubled to left and eventually scored on a single to right by Maruri, before Pearson closed out the win with a scoreless bottom half.
The Blue Hens will look to complete the weekend sweep of Old Dominion when the teams close out their three-game set on Sunday with a 1 p.m. game.
