University of Delaware Athletics
Blue Hens Head to Lehigh on Tuesday For First Round of Liberty Bell Classic
3/28/2016 11:27:00 AM | Baseball
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The University of Delaware baseball team will look to get back on track on Tuesday when the Blue Hens head to Lehigh for a 3 p.m. game at Legacy Park in the first round of the Liberty Bell Classic.
The winner advances to the second round of the tournament which will be played on Tuesday, Apr. 5, while the championship game is scheduled for Tuesday, Apr. 12 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Delaware (16-8) is looking to bounce back from a weekend sweep at CAA preseason favorite College of Charleston, as the Blue Hens have dropped three consecutive games for the first time this season. UD had won 11 of 12 games prior to the weekend, and will look to return to the win column against the Mountain Hawks, which it defeated in all three meetings last year.
Lehigh enters the game with a 7-14 record, and the Mountain Hawks dropped two of three games at home to Manhattan over the weekend. Lehigh will send senior righthander Brandon Kulp (0-1, 10.80 ERA) to the mound, while Delaware will counter with sophomore righthander Zach Flowers (1-0, 5.73 ERA).
UD freshman rightfielder Kyle Baker went 7 for 11 at the plate last week for the Blue Hens, and now leads the team with a .422 batting average this year. Nick Tierno recorded a team-leading eight hits last week to increase his batting average to .337, while Jordan Glover is also hitting .337 with team-highs of 30 runs scored, 12 doubles and 24 RBI.
Jacen Nalesnik leads Lehigh with a .357 batting average, 30 hits, 20 runs scored, four homers and 15 RBI, while Connor Donovan is hitting .311 while also driving home 15 runs on the year. Patrick Donnelly is the third Mountain Hawk batting over the .300 mark at .310, while David Young has posted a team-leading eight doubles.
Delaware defeated Lehigh, 11-10, on Mar. 17, 2015, before posting a 5-3 home victory over the Mountain Hawks on Mar. 31 in an LBC consolation game. The Blue Hens then traveled to Bethlehem on Apr. 14, when they recorded a 5-1 triumph over Lehigh.
The teams did not meet in 2013 or 2014, as the Mountain Hawks' last victory in the series came in 2012 when Lehigh notched a 5-0 victory in an LBC first round game.
