University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Baseball Vying for Eighth Liberty Bell Classic Championship, Will Play Villanova for the Title at Citizens Bank Park
4/15/2013 2:29:00 PM | Baseball
Delaware (24-10, 10-5 Colonial Athletic Association) has won 14 of its last 16 contests while Villanova (9-25, 1-8 Big East) has lost six of its last seven games.
Fans looking to attend Tuesday night's championship game will be able to purchase tickets at Citizens Bank Park's ticket windows along the first-base line of the stadium. The cost will be $5 for general admission seating for the game.
The Blue Hens last won Liberty Bell Classic Championship in 2010 and have won seven Liberty Bell Classic Championships. Villanova has pocketed four LBC Championships and won their last title in 2011.
Right-hander Dan Gatto (2-1, 4.05 earned-run average) will make the start for the Blue Hens while Villanova will hand the ball to either right-hander Kevin MacLachlan (1-1, 8.44 ERA).
The Blue Hens defeated Saint Joseph's and Temple to make it to the LBC Championship Game while the Wildcats topped La Salle and Pennsylvania for a chance at the title.
Delaware and Villanova began its baseball series in 1896 with an 18-15 victory for the Hens. UD owns a 39-26-2 record over Nova despite losing, 7-6, the last time the schools squared off against each other in 2011.
The Blue Hens offense is second in the CAA with a .327 team batting average. Jimmy Yezzo leads the conference in doubles (20), RBI (43) and total bases (111) while sharing the top spot in batting average (.444). Nick Ferdinand (.364) and Brock Niggebrugge (.362) each rank in the CAA Top 10 in batting average.
EJ Stoltzfus has a six-game hitting streak, while DJ Long owns a team-high seven-game hitting streak. Long also has the longest active consecutive games started streak in the country with 196 straight games.
UD pitching staff sits fifth in the CAA with a 4.08 team-ERA through 34 games. Relievers Eric Buckland (3-1, 4.81 ERA) and Steve Richter (4-0, 2.20 ERA) lead the Hens bullpen with three saves apiece.
The Wildcats are last in the Big East in batting average as Villanova is hitting .226 (250-for-1107) as a team. Tyler Sciacca leads the team with a .330 batting average and paces the team with 32 hits and 16 RBI. Sciacca also ranks seventh in the Big East with 11 doubles on the season.
Villanova ranks 10th in the Big East with a 4.77 earned-run average and have an opponents batting average of .276. The Wildcat relieving duo of Matt Longfield (0-1, 2.25 ERA) and Chris Haggerty (1-2, 3.38 ERA) lead the Villanova bullpen with each making 18 appearances.
Delaware returns to CAA competition on Friday, April 19 at 3:00 p.m. when the Blue Hens travel to Hofstra for a three-game weekend series.
Right-hander Chad Kuhl (5-2, 3.39 ERA) will take the mound in Friday's series opener for the Blue Hens against the Pride.
