Softball Sweeps Doubleheader From Rider, Wins 12th Game in a Row

Tuesday, March 18

Newark, Del.

2:00 p.m.

University of Delaware

16-8

Rider

6-14

Rider

Delaware

Photo by: Erin Moreland

Softball Sweeps Doubleheader From Rider, Wins 12th Game in a Row

3/18/2025 7:52:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

NEWARK, Del. - University of Delaware softball swept a doubleheader from Rider, 1-0 and 6-3, to win their 12th game in a row. Ellie Talley hit a walk-off home run in the ninth inning of game one, while Sydney Shaffer hit a pair of home runs in game two. Morgan Hess threw 12.1 shutout innings between the two games and allowed just two hits, a walk and struck out 10.

HEN HIGHLIGHTS GAME ONE

Hess pitched all nine innings and allowed one hit, zero walks, and struck out nine.
Talley hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth to give Delaware the win. She also had a single.
Katie Scheivert and Mary Beth Cahalan also had hits.

HEN HIGHLIGHTS GAME TWO

Shaffer hit two solo home runs and walked.
Scheivert, Hess, and Talley each had two hits, including one double. Hess also added a triple.
Gianna Costaro, Chloe Blantz, and Veronica Diomede had a hit each. Diomede's hit was an RBI triple.
Hess earned the win with 3.1 shutout innings with just one hit and one walk allowed.
Emma Denison allowed just one hit in 1.1 scoreless innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME ONE

Hess retired the first seven she faced before Rider's first baserunner reached on an error, but made it through three hitless innings with two strikeouts.
Rider had their first hit in the fourth, but Hess struck out two more to retire the side. She then added another strikeout in a 1-2-3 fifth.
In the sixth inning, Rider put a runner on first after an error with one out, but a strikeout and a back-pick double play retired the side.
Hess pitched perfect seventh, eighth, and ninth, and struck out the side in order in the final inning.
Talley led off the bottom of the ninth with a home run to center field to end the game

HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME TWO

Josie Crossman struck out two in a perfect first inning.
Shaffer hit a one-out home run in the first to give Delaware a 1-0 lead.
Rider scored an unearned run in the second to tie the game. then took the lead on a bases loaded walk and a sacrifice fly in the third.
Shaffer lead off the third inning with her second home run of the night to cut the lead to 3-2.
Hess came in in the top of the fourth with two outs and two runners on, but helped Delaware escape a jam with a groundout.
The Blue Hens took the lead back in the fourth after Talley doubled to lead off the inning, Diomede hit a tripled her in, and Scheivert doubled her home.
Hess was perfect in the fifth. She then doubled to led off the bottom half of the inning and scored on Costaro's double. Talley followed up with her own double to put Delaware up 6-3.
Hess was perfect again in the sixth with a strikeout. Rider strung together a rally in the seventh by putting runners on the corners with two outs. A soft line drive to Blantz at shortstop ended the threat and game to give Delaware a doubleheader sweep.

GAME NOTES

Talley hit Delaware's first walk-off home run since Julia Boyet last year against Iowa State on Feb. 24 at Palmer Park, but its first at Delaware Softball Diamond since April 10, 2022 when Hanna Garber hit a walk-off home run against Drexel in the 14th inning. Talley has hit three home runs in her last five games.
Hess' nine strikeouts were tied for her most since joining Delaware. She struck out nine against Maine on March 1, 2024. Her career high is 14 done on Feb. 10, 2023 against Bellarmine as a member of Presbyterian. She also threw a career-high innings with nine, the first time in her career she worked past the seventh inning of a start.
Hess has allowed just three earned runs in 25 innings pitched in the month of March, good for a 0.84 ERA. She's allowed only 12 hits.
Hess became the first Delaware pitcher to earn two wins in a single day since Emily Winburn on April 10, 2022 against Drexel.
Shaffer's multi-home run game was the first of her career. It was also the first multi-home run game by a Delaware player at home since Mariah Kondravy hit two on May 2, 2018 against Mount St. Mary's.
Diomede's triple was the second of her career.
Delaware has won 12 consecutive games, one shy of matching its program record of 13 done last year and in 2000. Its 12-game win streak is tied for the third longest in the country with LSU and trails only Austin Peay (21) and Oklahoma (29).

UP NEXT

Delaware plays a weekend series against Hofstra.

TICKETS
Delaware Softball will celebrate its 50th season as a program during the 2025 season, as presented by Delaware State Parks. Season and single game tickets for the 2025 season are on sale now. The upcoming season will feature cutting-edge renovations, including a state-of-the-art Daktronics videoboard, turf playing surface, LED lighting, and more. Season tickets are now 50% off the single-game rate—just $94 for access to the entire season with general admission seating.

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