March 29, 2009
Box Score
DOVER, Del. - Delaware State's Justin Bittner held the University of Maryland Eastern Shore baseball team hitless for five innings as the Hornets defeated the Hawks, 8-1, at Soldier Field Sunday.
Both center fielder Phil Vaughn (Clinton, Md.) and left fielder Pat Hercinger (Papillion, Neb.) extended their team-leading 10-game hitting streaks for UMES, which fell to 6-21 overall and 4-2 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Vaughn kept his streak alive on the his final at-bat of the day in the ninth with a bases-loaded infield single to third base that scored freshman Elliott Alston (Littleton, Colo.) with two outs.
Hercinger tallied the Hawks' first of six base hits in the top of the sixth to left field off reliever Jordan Elliott to keep his streak intact.
The Hornets improved to 10-11-1 (2-1 MEAC) and Bittner moved to 3-0 with the win on the mound. He allowed four walks and struck put five. DSU outhit UMES, 11-6 on the day to take the series, 2-1.
Freshman Karim Gonzalez (Mexico City, Mexico) went the first 4.1 innings surrendering six runs on six hits and seven walks to absorb the loss. He also struck out three falling to 1-4.
Abe Eubank paced the hosts' offense with a 3-for-5 day at the plate with two RBIs. Bittner helped his own cause as well going 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.
UMES loaded the bases in the top of the first with one out on a two walks and a hit batsman, but could cash in on the opportunity when Josh Dunham Des Moines, Iowa) grounded into a fielder choices at home and Bryan Chaikowsky (Bethlehem, Pa.) struck out swinging to end the threat.
Delaware State took a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the inning. Bittner chased home Mike Rizzuto and Jared Lineweaver on a bases-loaded single with no one out that hugged the left-field line for the first two runs. Ross Babineaux followed with a single up the middle plating Jose Sanchez to make it 3-0 and Eubank scored Bittner with an RBI grounder to third.
Back-to-back doubles from Lineweaver and Rizzuto gave the Hornets a fifth run to begin the top of the fourth inning. DSU added another marker when, with runners on the corners and one out, Rizzuto came in on a passed ball by catcher Ben Vasko (San Diego, Calif.).
The Hornets pushed the lead to 8-0 in the sixth. Eubank picked up an RBI when a line drive fell in front of right fielder Franklin Armstrong (Trenton, N.J.). Warren Stimpson also had an RBI single through the right side of the infield in the frame. Elliott pitched the sixth and seventh allowing two hits, a walk and while fanning one and Brandon Penick threw the eighth and ninth. He gave up four hits, including the RBI single to Vaughn, and a walk.
Senior Russel Deutchman (Baden, Ontario), the third UMES pitcher of the day threw well in his two innings allowing just a hit and a walk.
The Hawks close a two-game season series at Maryland on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
