University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
UNCW
Blue Hens Close Out Season with Doubleheader Split vs. CAA Leader UNCW
5/20/2016 7:06:00 PM | Baseball
Photos below by Jeff Fannon
NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware baseball squad closed out a season full of ups and downs Friday afternoon with - you guessed it - some ups and downs.
The Blue Hens knocked off league-leading UNCW 11-7 in the opener before falling to the Seahawks 6-2 in an early pitching duel in the nightcap as part of a Colonial Athletic Association doubleheader and sun-splashed Bob Hannah Stadium.
Delaware finished the season with an impressive overall mark of 32-22 but fell short of a berth in the 
CAA Tournament with a 10-14 league mark.
The Hens failed to advance to the CAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 but their 32 wins were the most since the 2013 squad went 33-22.
UNCW, the defending CAA champions, improved to 37-15 and captured the regular season title with a 16-6 mark in conference play.
"We had four freshmen in Brandon Walter, Nick Patten, Kyle Baker (above left) and Kevin Mohollen who all had great years," continued Sherman. "That was a bright spot. We get almost everybody back except for a few guys and that's another bright spot. We have a good nucleus and we are excited about next year."
After falling to UNCW 12-2 in the series opener Thursday, the Hens came back with a win in the opener Friday as they used a six-run first inning to take control and never looked back. Baker and Jeremy Ake each hit home runs and collected two RBI and Nick Tierno also brought home two runs to lead the offense.
Baker's two-run home run, an RBI double by Diaz Nardo, run-scoring singles by Ake and James Meeker, and a sacrifice fly by Doug Trimble highlighted the six-run first inning, the 12th time this season that the Hens have scored that many times in a single frame.
Delaware pushed the lead to 8-1 when Ake scored on an error in the third and Kevin Mohollen's 
speed produce another run in the fourth. Mohollen led off the inning and was hit by a pitch and promptly stole second and third. He then scored when Tierno lifted a popup to shallow right field.
Delaware later added a solo home run by Ake in the seventh and an RBI triple by Tierno in the eighth to stay in command.
Walter was solid on the mound as he allowed just three earned runs in seven innings to improve to 7-3 on the season. Nick Spadafino and Colman Vila each pitched an inning of relief as UD held off the Seahawks in the late-going.
In the nightcap, Delaware lefthander Kevin Milley (left) battled for 6.1 innings before leaving the game with the score tied in the seventh.
But the Seahawks put up two runs in seventh to take control and tacked on four more in the eighth for a 6-0 lead. Delaware got a two-run homer from Mohollen in the eighth the cut the deficit but could get no closer.
UNCW, which entered the game ranked No. 2 in the NCAA in scoring at 8.7 runs per game, got home runs from Gavin Stupienski and Casey Golden and three hits from Zack Canada in the opener.
In the nightcap, Steven Linkous and Nick Feight each knocked in two runs to lead the way with Linkous' two-run single in the seventh breaking a scoreless tie. Feight, who now leads the NCAA in RBI with 83, hit his CAA-leading 18th home run to highlight the four-run eighth inning.
HEN SCRATCHINGS
• Walter, who improved to 7-3 with his win in the opener, pitched at least seven innings in each of his 
final six starts and in 8 of the final 10. By winning his seventh game, he gave Delaware two seven-game winners (Ron Marinaccio also went 7-4) for the first time since 2004
• Milley held UNCW scoreless for the first six innings in the nightcap, extending his scoreless streak to 14 innings. He had allowed just one run over the previous 20 innings and struck out 21 batters during that span
• Jordan Glover finished the season as the team leader in batting average (.360), RBI (52), and stolen bases (22). Along with Mohollen's 21 stolen bases, the Hens had two players with 20+ steals for the first time since 2002
• Senior designated hitter Nick Liggett (above with head coach Jim Sherman and parents) was honored prior to the first game as part of Senior Day festivities
AGATE:
Game 1
UNCW........001 001 221 - 7-12-1
Delaware...601 100 12x - 11-9-1
Barnes, Roberson (1), Crump (5) and Feight; Walter, Spadafino (8), Vila (9) and Tierno; E - Canada (UNCW); Meeker (D); DP - UNCW-1; D-1; LOB - UNCW-7; Delaware-5; 2B - Nardo (D); Patten (D); 3B - Tierno (D); HR - Stupienski (UNCW); Golden (UNCW); Baker (D); Ake (D); HBP - Linkous (UNCW); Feight (UNCW); Mohollen (D); SH - Mohollen (D); Meeker (D); SF - Tierno (D); Trimble (D); SB - Mohollen-2 (D); Baker (D); Trimble (D); CS - Glover (D); WP- Walter (7-3); LP - Barnes (2-2); A - 325.
Game 2
UNCW.......000 000 240 - 6-7-0
Delaware..000 000 020 - 2-6-3
Gantz, Easter (4), Magestro (7), Hyssong (9) and Stupienski; Milley, Spadafino (7), Vila (7), FitzPatrick (8), Chasanov (9), Benjamin (9), and Mayer, Rapp (8); E - Milley- 2 (D); FitzPatrick (D); DP - UNCW-1; LOB - UNCW-10; D-4; 2B - Stupienski (UNCW); Patten (D); HR - Feight (UNCW); Mohollen (D); HBP - Stupienski (UNCW); Stack (UNCW); Baker (D); SH - Canada (UNCW); SB - Thorburn (UNCW); CS - Linkous (UNCW); Baker (D); WP - Easter (2-0); LP - Milley (3-1); A - 400.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Scott Selheimer | selheime@udel.edu | Office: 302-831-8007 | Cell: 302-562-5129
