Ake's Homer Lifts Delaware Past Northeastern
Rob Washburn
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL |
BOX SCORE |
HIGHLIGHTS
WILMINGTON, N.C. (May 25, 2017) – Jeremy Ake’s two-run homer in the fifth lifted fourth-seeded Delaware to a 5-3 victory over #1 Northeastern in Game 4 of the CAA Baseball Championship on Thursday night at Brooks Field.
The Blue Hens (32-21) advance to Friday’s 2:30 p.m. winner’s bracket final against the victor of tonight’s 10 p.m. contest between #2 UNCW and #3 William & Mary. The Huskies (28-24) will play an elimination game at 6 p.m. on Friday against a yet to be determined opponent.
Ake, who finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored, broke a 2-2 tie with his third home run of the season to left. He was one of four Delaware players who recorded multiple hits. Brian Mayer was 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI’s, while Nick Tierno went 2-for-3 and Jordan Glover was 2-for-5.
Blue Hens’ junior Nick Spadafino upped his record to 7-2 after allowing two runs on five hits over 5.1 innings and striking out six. Reliever Colman Vila gave up only an unearned run over 2.1 frames and Burk FitzPatrick tossed the final 1.1 innings to earn his sixth save.
Northeastern junior right-hander Brian Christian (7-3) allowed 10 hits and five runs (four earned) and took the loss despite registering seven strikeouts. Kyle Murphy through two perfect frames out of the pen.
Delaware took advantage of a Northeastern miscue to grab the lead in the second. Doug Trimble reached on a two-out error and consecutive singles from Diaz Nardo, Tierno and Mayer put the Blue Hens on top, 1-0. Delaware tacked on another run in the fourth when Mayer’s bloop single to right brought home Ake.
Northeastern used the long ball to quickly draw even in the bottom of the fourth. Scott Holzwasser led off the frame with his team-leading seventh homer of the season to left, and Cam Hanley followed with his fifth homer of the year to right.
After Ake’s two-run shot put the Hens on top, Delaware added to its lead in the sixth. Tierno hit a one-out single and Mayer drove him in with a double to the fence in left.
NU scored an unearned run in the eighth when pinch-hitter Ryan Solomon knocked in Mason Koppens. The Huskies were limited to four hits in the contest, with no player recording more than one.