Box Score (Game 1) l Box Score (Game 2)

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland - Looking for a much needed victory after dropping four of its first five conference games, the Maryland Eastern Shore baseball team rallied for three runs in the ninth inning of the opening contest of today's doubleheader with Delaware State, winning by a 5-2 score. In the second game, the Hawks rallied from three down to pull within one before falling short, 4-3.

The split raises the Hawks record to 6-19 (2-5 MEAC). Delaware State improved to 5-21 (5-2 MEAC).

"We had a great team effort today to get the win [in game one]." Hawks head coach John O'Neil said. "Our pitchers did a great job and made some big pitches. We had some timely hitting and made some great defensive plays in game one."

Freshman Tom Summers (West Decatur, Pennsylvania) was the guiding force to victory in the first game. He pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win, and helped his own cause by going 2-for-3 and hitting home the go-ahead run.

But plenty of other Hawks also had good performances. Sophomore Jamison Trower (Chesterfield, Virginia) plated two insurance runs in the ninth with a double and followed that with his second home run of the year in the second game. Fellow sophomore Jessey Valdez (Dorchester, Massachusetts) added a round tripper of his own, and junior Justin Somerville (New Windsor, Maryland) punched home an RBI double in the opening game.

On the mound, sophomore Chris Melrath (Rising Sun, Maryland) threw 6 2/3 innings as a starter, giving up two runs and two strikeouts. Seniors Devin Repine (Salisbury, Maryland) and J.P. Black (Elkton, Maryland) provided scoreless relief for the Hawks.

The Hawks never trailed in the first game, leading 1-0 after scoring on a passed ball in the second, then 2-0 on Somerville's RBI double in the fifth. The Hornets would rally to tie with runs in the fifth and sixth and the game would remain tied thru the eighth.

In the ninth, senior Mike Escanilla (Waldorf, Maryland) doubled and Valdez reached on an error, setting up Summers for what would prove to be his game winning double. Trower's double added insurance and Repine pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth for the win.

Delaware State took the early edge with a bases loaded walk, but the Hawks responded with Trower's homer in the second. Runs by the Hornets in the third, fourth and fifth put the home team up for good. Valdez's four bagger in the sixth made it interesting, but the Hornets hung on to force the doubleheader split, benefiting off of two Hawk errors.

"Several mistakes that DSU took advantage of was the difference in game two." O'Neil said. "Even with mistakes, our guys battled, but DSU did what they had to do to win."

The rubber game of the series will take place tomorrow at 1:00p.m. on Soldier Field in Dover.