Delaware's Nick Patten is greeted after his three-run homer in the first.
Delaware Beats UNCW To Reach CAA Title Game
Rob Washburn
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL |
BOX SCORE |
HIGHLIGHTS
WILMINGTON, N.C. (May 26, 2017) – Fourth-seeded Delaware exploded for eight runs with two outs in the sixth and raced past #2 UNCW, 14-8, in Game 7 of the CAA Baseball Championship on Friday afternoon at Brooks Field.
The victory sends the Blue Hens (33-21) into Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. championship game for the first time since 2012, where they will have two chances to capture their first CAA title. The Seahawks (29-28) return at 1 p.m. on Saturday to meet either Northeastern or College of Charleston in an elimination contest.
Nick Patten went 2-for-3 with a homer and four RBI’s, and Kevin Mohollen was 2-for-3 with a homer, four runs scored and two driven in to pace a 12-hit Delaware attack. Reliever James Meeker (6-2) earned the win for the Blue Hens after limiting the Seahawks to one run over 2.1 innings.
For UNCW, catcher Ryan Jeffers was 3-for-3 and scored twice, while Brian Mims and Kennard McDowell each had two hits and an RBI. Reliever Austin Easter (1-1) suffered the loss after giving up three runs in 1.2 innings of work.
Trailing 7-5 with two down in the sixth, Delaware’s Brian Mayer and Mohollen belted back-to-back solo homers to tie the game. A base hit and two walks loaded the bases, and the Blue Hens took the lead when Jeremy Ake was hit by a pitch. A two-run single by Doug Trimble, an RBI single by Diaz Nardo and Nick Tierno’s two-run double capped the outburst, which pushed the Delaware advantage to 13-7.
Delaware jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first. Mohollen and Jordan Glover drew back-to-back walks and Patten launched his team-leading 14
th homer of the year deep over the fence in left.
UNCW didn’t waste time climbing out of the early hole. Jeffers doubled to open the second inning and later scored on a Robbie Thorburn groundout. McDowell’s two-out RBI single plated Zack Canada cut the Seahawk deficit to one. In the third, UNCW took advantage of a pair of walks and a Blue Hens’ fielding error to move on top, 4-3, and Mason Berne’s sacrifice fly increased the margin to two.
Daniel Stack’s solo blast to left put UNCW ahead 6-3 in the top of the fourth, but the Blue Hens battled back in the bottom of the frame. Consecutive two-out doubles by Mayer and Mohollen, followed by a Glover RBI single, brought UD back within one.
Following the Blue Hens’ sixth-inning outburst, both teams tacked on another run. UD’s Patten drove in his fourth run of the day with a single in the seventh and UNCW’s Brian Mims hit a solo homer in the ninth.