DOYLESTOWN (PA) – Sean Tappan struck out 10 batters en route to a complete-game victory as Delaware Valley College split a Freedom Conference doubleheader with visiting King's College. The Aggies, behind Tappan's effort, took the first contest, 11-4, before suffering a 13-6 loss in the nightcap.

The split moved Delaware Valley's record to 9-13-1 overall and 2-9 in the conference. The Monarchs saw its marks go to 13-8 overall, 8-4 and third place in the Freedom.

The 10 strikeouts tied a career high for Tappan as the senior matched an eight-inning total from last year's game against Bethany College. He allowed four runs and six hits over seven innings and improved to 2-3 on the year. The victory was also the 15th of Tappan's career, moving him into a three-way tie for sixth place on the Aggies's all-time list.

Tappan received plenty of run support on Saturday as Delaware Valley put numbers on the scoreboard in five of the six innings it hit in, including nine over the first three stanzas. The Aggies got right to work in the first as they notched four runs on three hits and one Monarch miscue. The big hit in the inning was a two-out, two-run single by Matt Bodine.

King's got one back in the top of the second, but Delaware Valley countered with three in the bottom of the inning. All three came off the bat of Mike Isgro as one the Division III top hitters smacked a home run over the right field fence. It was his sixth round-tripper of the season and the 13th of his career, moving the senior into a tie for sixth place on the all-time list. The three RBIs also upped his career total to 119 and placed him third in that category and just five shy of tying the record.

Delaware Valley added two more in the third on RBIs by Dylan Saldutti and Dan Hrubos. The Monarchs made it a 9-4 ballgame by scoring one in the fourth and two in the fifth. Mike Kusters had an RBI single while Matt Unger added a two-run double to account for those three runs.

However, that was as close as King's would come as the Aggies plated single runs in their half of the fifth and sixth innings. Saldutti notched an RBI single in the fifth while a King's error in the sixth allowed the final run of the game to score.

Bodine, Hrubos and Gary Cooper had two hits apiece with Bodine knocking in a pair of runs as well. Saldutti was 1-for-2 with two RBIs while Isgro was 1-for-3 with the home run, two runs scored and three RBIs.

Unger finished 2-for-3 with two doubles, a run scored and two RBIs for the Monarchs. Tommy Rozelle gave up nine runs (three earned) and seven hits in three innings and fell to 4-1 on the year.

The nightcap saw King's touch Isgro for six runs on six hits in the third inning. Brian Mikus (single) and Eric Matula (double) had two RBIs apiece in the stanza. The Monarchs then added three more tallies off the Aggie bullpen in the third for a 9-0 advantage. Unger added his third double of the day to knock in one run and Mikus notched another two-run single to account for the scoring.

Meanwhile, King's starter Dan Jenkins was cruising along and had a no-hitter going into the bottom of the sixth inning. Gary Cooper broke it up with a single to right to start the stanza and Kellen Jarrett followed by getting hit by a pitch. Jenkins came out of the game and two ensuing singles and a hit batter made it a 9-2 ballgame with the bases still loaded with no outs. A fielder's choice brought in another run and an RBI single by Zach Chodur pulled the Aggies to within five at 9-4. A walk to Bodine reloaded the bases and brought Brenton Eades out of the King's bullpen. Delaware Valley put two more on the board on a sacrifice fly by Jim Calabrese and on a wild pitch before Eades got out of the inning with a pop out.

In the top of the seventh, Unger stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs and delivered a big, two-run single. Mikus followed with a run-scoring hit and Eades helped his own cause with an RBI single of his own for the 13-6 final.

Jenkins improved to 2-0 for the Monarchs while the save was Eades' third of the year. Mikus finished 4-for-5 with a double, a run scored.

Five different Aggies notched hits in the game, all coming in the sixth inning. Isgro fell to 1-3 with the setback.