University of Delaware Athletics
Ferdinand?s Bat Helps Delaware Baseball Outlast Holy Cross in 9-8 Victory
2/23/2013 3:26:00 PM | Baseball
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Blue Hens captain Nick Ferdinand (below left) slammed his second home run of the season as the University of Delaware outlasted Holy Cross, 9-8, Saturday night at English Field on the campus of Virginia Tech.
Delaware (3-1) held on to the victory after jumping to a 7-0 lead through the first seven innings before Holy Cross (0-2) out scored the Blue Hens, 8-2, over the final two frames.
"A win is a win and we will take it and get better on the back end of our bullpen,” said Delaware head coach Jim Sherman. “Our 'Big Three' of DJ Long, Ferdinand and Jimmy Yezzo' really carried us with the bat.”
Ferdinand went 3-for-5 with one home run, two RBI and one runs scored for the Hens that extended his hitting and runs scored streak to10 games.
Yezzo added agame-high four hits with one RBI and two runs scored. His career-high hitting streak extended to 15 games with his second triple of the season in the top of the first inning.
Long scored one run and went 2-for-5 with two run-scoring doubles while batting in the second spot in the order.
Delaware starter ChadKuhl (2-0) earned his second win of the season as the right-hander yielded four earned runs on six hits and five strikeouts in a career-high 7.1 innings on the mound.
Blue Hen reliever Stephen Richter (S, 1) secured the victory with 0.2 scoreless innings with one strikeout and collected his 18th save of his Delaware career that puts him in a three-way tie for most in program history.
Holy Cross starter Donny Murray (0-1) suffered the loss as the right-hander surrendered six runs (three earned) on 10 hits and two walks in 5.1 innings pitched.
Nine different Crusaders collected base knocks as Jack St. Clair and Nick Lovullo led with two hits apiece.
UD's Joe Giacchino had his career-high; 10-game hitting streak end tonight after the sophomore went hitless in three at bats with one run batted in.
Delaware jumped to an early 4-0 lead over Holy Cross in the bottom of the second inning. Tyler Powell and EJ Stoltzfus collected back-to-back singles to leadoff the frame. Alex Mottle loaded the bases after reaching on base knock to left field. With the bases loaded, Ty Warrington smacked a RBI single that plated Powell and reloaded the bases. Brock Niggebrugge added a RBI single that drove in Stoltzfus as the bases remained loaded. Giacchino's sacrifice fly to center fielder Brandon Cipolla turned into a double play when Cipolla threw out Warrington, who attempted to reach third base on the play. Long capped the inning with a RBI double that delivered Niggebrugge for the frame's fourth run.
Yezzo and Ferdinand tallied back-to-backed a sacrifice fly to left field that was deep enough for Yezzo to score and hand the Blue Hens a 5-0 advantage.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Niggebrugge drew a leadoff walk, stole second base, advanced to third on a ground out and scampred home on Long's second RBI do
singles that began the bottom of the fifth inning. After Stoltzfus was hit by a pitch, the bases were loaded for Mottle, who liftuble of the game. Yezzo added a RBI double that drove in Long as Delaware's lead increased to seven, 7-0.
Holy Cross narrowed the gap in the top of the eighth inning as the Crusaders scored five runs behind a fielding error by Cameron Travalini in center field on a three-run single by Evan Ocello. Bobby Indeglia added a two-run triple that brought Holy Cross within two runs, 7-5.
The Crusaders tacked on three runs in the top of the ninth inning as Josh Olson and Lovullo hammered each a run-scoring double in addition to an Alex Maldinaldo sacrifice fly before Richter registered the final out of the game.
Delaware will continue its second weekend of the season with a Sunday night game at 6:00 p.m. against Virginia Tech. The Blue Hens will hand the ball to right-hander Adam Davis (0-1, 1.29) while the Hokies counter with right-hander Brad Markey (1-0, 1.29).
