University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
Fairfield
Blue Hen Bats Overwhelm Fairfield in 22-6 Victory
3/18/2016 7:06:00 PM | Baseball
• Boxscore
NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware's bats came out in full force on Friday afternoon as the Blue Hens battered Fairfield pitching with season-highs for runs and hits and walked away with a 22-6 victory at Bob Hannah Stadium in the opener of a three-game weekend set.
Delaware (13-5), which won for the eight time in the last night games, banged out a 25 hits, including four home runs, to overwhelm Fairfield and hand the Stags (4-9) their fourth straight loss.
The teams will meet again on Saturday at Hannah Stadium with a doubleheader beginning at 12 
noon. Both games will be nine-inning affairs.
Delaware enjoyed its most productive run output since a 25-10 victory over Hofstra at Hannah Stadium on May 8, 2010 and its highest hit total since banging out 25 safeties in a 18-10 win over Towson on Apr. 16, 2010.
The four home runs was one shy of the season-high five hit by Delaware against Maryland in a 10-8 victory on March 8.
Twelve Delaware players, including all nine starters, registered at least one hit led by right fielder Kyle Baker and centerfielder Kevin Mohollen with four each, first baseman Nick Patten with three, and four others players with two.
Mohollen also knocked in four runs, Patten had three RBI, and third baseman Diaz Nardo, designated hitter Doug Trimble (at left), and catchers Brian Mayer and Adam Rapp each knocked in two runs apiece.
Mohollen, Trimble, Patten, and Rapp each hit home runs with Patten also adding a double and Nardo hitting a two-run triple. Patten and Trimble each scored a team-high three runs to lead the scoring parade.
After Fairfield scored four runs on two home runs against Delaware pitching ace Ron Marinaccio in the second inning to go up 4-0, Delaware answered with two runs in the second and five more in the third to take the lead for good. The Hens later put up six runs in both the fifth and sixth innings and for good measure tacked on three more runs in the eighth.
Marinaccio settled down and held the Stags scoreless over his final four innings of work to improve to 5-0 and become the first UD starting pitcher to open the season with a 5-0 mark since Matt Heppner started 5-0 in 2006. Marinaccio struck out six batters and did not allow a walk.
“We got drilled pretty good on Wednesday (16-5 loss to Bryant) and sometimes you come back and do the same against another club,” said Delaware head coach Jim Sherman. “We aren't 16 runs better than Fairfield and we didn't think that Bryant was 11 runs better than us. Today was just one of those days and it was our day today. Marinaccio had a tough inning for the first time all year long but he settled down and gave us a good effort. Baker, Rapp, Patten, Mohollen - all those guys swung the bat well today for us. It was a great day. Hopefully we can come back tomorrow and sweep the doubleheader.”
Fairfield, which has played every game on the road this season and lost for the ninth time in the last 10 games, put forth some offense of its own as the Stags collected 13 hits, including four from leadoff hitter Tim Zeng. Designated hitter Troy Scocca and shortstop Jack Gethings each hit home runs in the second inning.
HEN SCRATCHINGS
• Delaware is now 7-1 all-time vs. Fairfield with seven straight wins and has scored 10 or more runs in three of the last four meetings
• Delaware played without sophomore infielder James Meeker who suffered a concussion and a fracture jaw in a collision with leftfielder Jordan Glover in Wednesday's loss to Bryant. Meeker is expected to miss at least a week of action. Glover started and went 2 for 5 with an RBI
• Trimble hit his team-high fourth home run of the season and extended his hitting streak to eight games
• Patten extended his on-base streak to 14 games and finished a triple shy of the cycle
• Shortstop Jeremy Ake saw his first action since the first week of the season due to an injury and went 2 for 5 with an RBI
• UD Athletics Hall of Famer and former longtime Major League outfielder Kevin Mench attended the game and gave commentary for several innings as part of the Hens All-Access live webstream. Delaware's all-time home run leader, Mench now resides in Texas and works in community relations with the MLB Texas Rangers
AGATE:
Fairfield.......040 000 110 - 6-13-2
Delaware.....025 066 03x - 22-25-3
Howell, Harkin (3), Mikolajczyk (5), O'Leary (6), Molner (8) and Radziewicz, Williams (7); Marinaccio, Spadafino (7), Benjamin (8), Belfer (9) and Mayer, Rapp (8); E - Blake (F); Gethings (F); Tierno (D); Baker (D); Marinaccio (D); DP - F - 0, D-1; LOB - F-10; D-12; 2B - Zeng (F); Crispino (F); Tierno (D); Patten (D); Ake (D); 3B - Nardo (D); HR - Scocca (F); Gethings (F); Mohollen (D); Trimble (D); Patten (D); Rapp (D); HBP - Scocca (F); Tierno (D); Liggett (D); Mayer (D); SF - Crispino (F); SB - Zeng (F); Glover (D); WP - Marinaccio (5-0); LP - Howell (1-2); A - 125.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Scott Selheimer | selheime@udel.edu | Office: 302-831-8007 | Cell: 302-562-5129
