Hess, Costaro Shine In Debuts With Softball During Day One Of Runnin' Bulldog Classic

Friday, February 9

Boiling Springs, N.C.

11 AM

University of Delaware

0-1

Youngstown State

1-0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Delaware	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Youngstown State	1	0	0	0	0	0		1	2	0

Photo by: Michael Riccio

Hess, Costaro Shine In Debuts With Softball During Day One Of Runnin' Bulldog Classic

2/9/2024 7:06:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Incoming transfer Morgan Hess and freshman Gianna Costaro highlighted University of Delaware's softball's first day of the Runnin' Bulldog Classic against Youngstown State and Gardner-Webb to begin the 2024 season. Hess pitched 4.2 shutout innings in the first game, while Costaro hit a home run against Gardner Webb in her second career at bat. Delaware fell in the first game 1-0, and in the second game 3-2.

HEN HIGHLIGHTS
Vs Youngstown State

Hess came on in relief in her Delaware debut and pitched 4.2 innings with six strikeouts and one hit and one walk allowed.
Sydney Shaffer drew two walks.
Katie Scheivert and Lillie Scheivert both recorded a stolen base.

Vs Gardner-Webb

Costaro hit a home run in her second career at bat, Delaware's first home run of the season.
Incoming transfer Julia Boyet, in her second game as a Blue Hen, went 1-for-3 with an RBI double
Chloe Blantz and Sydney Shaffer both had two hits, with Blantz adding a walk.
Scheivert recorded two walks.
Grace Hrustich went 1-for-3 with a double.
Hess went 1-for-3 with a stolen base.
Emily Winburn pitched six innings and allowed three runs.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Vs Youngstown State

Youngstown State took a 1-0 lead in the first inning after scoring on a wild pitch.
In the second inning, Hess came on in relief with two runners aboard and stranded both with back-to-back strikeouts.
Maddie Fife, also making her Delaware debut, ended the bottom of the fourth by connecting with Katie Scheivert to catch a runner stealing second base.
Hess recorded a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth and sixth inning with three more strikeouts.
Delaware managed to bring the tying run to third base with two outs in the top of the 7th but was unable to bring home the run.

Vs Gardner-Webb

Gardner-Webb took a 2-0 lead after three innings.
Costaro hit a home run to left field to lead off the top of the fifth inning and cut Gardner-Webb's lead to 2-1.
Winburn escaped trouble in the fifth inning by stranding runners on first and second base.
Hrustich led off the top of the sixth inning with a double. Boyet brought home Veronica Diomede, who had come on to pinch run, to tie the game at two.
Gardner-Webb retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Julz Garber and Shaffer singled to put the tying and go-ahead runs on base, but Gardner-Webb held on for the win.

GAME NOTES

Delaware had seven players make their Blue Hen debuts in the first two games - Hess, Boyet, Diomede, Lillie Scheivert, Fife, Ryleigh Thomas and Ellie Mulligan.
Costaro hitting a home run in her Delaware debut marks the second straight season a player has hit a home run in their first career game as a Blue Hen - Shaffer hit a home run in her first career at bat on Feb. 10, 2023 against Sam Houston State.