University of Delaware Athletics
Blue Hens Start Final Four-Game Road Trip at UMBC
5/7/2018 6:36:00 PM | Baseball
Delaware (25-22) at UMBC (16-23)
📅 Tuesday, May 8
🕖 6:00 p.m.
📍 Alumni Field – Baltimore, Md.
⚾️- RHP Joey Haass vs. RHP Aaron Husson (4-1, 6.45 ERA)
🎥- Live Video
📊- Live Stats
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Delaware enters Tuesday having won back-to-back games, and three of five. The Blue Hens defeated Saint Joseph's 10-2 last Tuesday, before dropping an 8-7 game to UMBC Wednesday. In that game, RHP Nick Spadafino pitched five strong innings allowing just three hits and one run, earning his first victory of the season. Designated hitter Tyler Callender went 4-4 with four RBI and a pair of doubles, while Calvin Scott went 3-4 with three runs scored. Wednesday, Delaware fell to UMBC 8-7. The loss was Delaware's first this season when leading after seven (17-0 entering the game). Junior Kyle Baker went 2-5 driving in his 30th and 31st runs of the season. This weekend Delaware won its eighth consecutive CAA home series, taking the final two games over Elon. After dropping the opener of the series 6-2 on Friday, Delaware rebounded Saturday (3-1) and Sunday (6-5, 10 innings). On Saturday, freshman Billy Sullivan IV threw 6.2 no-hit innings. The Delaware native struck out seven. Freshman Jordan Hutchins lined a two-run single, while Colman Vila pitched the final 2.1 innings to earn his fifth save of the year. On Sunday, Delaware erased a 5-1 eighth-inning deficit to win the series. Callender tied the game at five when he lined a two-run single. Vila pitched a scoreless ninth and 10th to earn his fifth victory of the season. Senior Austin Niggebrugge pushed a single through the drawn-in infield to win the game for Delaware.
BAKERS DOZEN: Junior Kyle Baker has nine hits in his last 13 at-bats and has recorded 13 hits in his last seven games. Baker takes a 10-game hitting streak into tomorrow's game at UMBC, and has recorded multiple hits in four consecutive games, raising his batting average to an impressive .349 for the season. Baker leads the Blue Hens in average and RBI (31). His .349 average is good for the third highest mark in the CAA.
IV EARNS NUMBER FOUR: Freshman Billy Sullivan IV earned his fourth CAA Weekly Award Monday, as the St. Mark's product was named CAA Rookie of the Week. Sullivan's seven strikeouts bring his season total to 75 for the year in just 57.0 innings of work. Sullivan earned CAA Rookie of the week back on Feb. 20th for his performance against Charleston Southern and has earned a pair of Pitcher of the Week awards most recently for his 16 strikeout performance against UNCW (Apr. 14).
EPIC COMEBACK: The Blue Hens are coming off their biggest come from behind win in nearly a year. Down 5-1 with two-outs in the eighth, the Blue Hens scored erupted for five runs in 13 batters, to secure the series victory. It was the Blue Hens first walk-off win since last season (Apr. 1) and is the biggest comeback win in almost a calendar year. UD twice overcame four-run eighth inning deficits last season, against William & Mary (Apr.1) and Arizona (June 2).
POWER SURGE: First baseman Nick Patten has homered in consecutive contests and has hit three home runs in his last eight games. The junior has homered in back-to-back games for the sixth time in his career. Patten's home run on Sunday was the 34th of his career, tying him for 10th place on the Blue Hens all-time home run list. Patten needs two more long-balls to reach double digits for the third consecutive season.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES: UMBC enters Tuesday's contest with a record of 18-23. The Retrievers are coming off a tough America East sweep at the hands of first-place Hartford. The sweep snapped UMBC's five-game winning streak. Senior Matt Campbell had a strong weekend for UMBC, homering twice. Joey Goodwin continues to lead the Retrievers with a .388 batting average. Zach Bright has hit a team-high 44 hits and driven in 28. AJ Wright has connected on an impressive 20 extra-base hits this season.
MEDIA INFORMATION: Contact: Andrew Stern | Anwstern@udel.edu | Office: 302-831-6519 | Cell: 914-589-9666
