GLENSIDE (Pa.) – The Delaware Valley University baseball team went toe-to-toe with No. 8/No. 14 ranked Arcadia University through six innings before the Knights exploded for a nine-run seventh inning to earn a 20-10 victory in the opening game of the three-game Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom series.
Arcadia, ranked number 14 in Division III by D3baseball.com and number eight in the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) top-25, improved to 26-4 overall and 12-1 in league play while the Aggies saw their four-game win-streak snapped and fell to 11-14 and 3-10.
The first batter of the game for the Knights reached on an error, the first of seven errors in the game for DelVal, and came around to score on an RBI single up the middle by Connor Cheeseman to open the scoring. Two batters later, Ryan Smolen hit a double to deep center field that plated two and gave Arcadia a 3-0 lead after one.
The Aggies answered in the next half inning as they took advantage of an Arcadia error, a wild pitch, and a Bobby Bright RBI single to tie the game at 3-3.
In the top of the second, the Knights loaded the bases with a single and two hit batters, and Trey Oberowski laced a single through the left side to plate two. Another run scored on an error, the home team regained its three-run lead, 6-3, after two.
After a scoreless third, Jonathan Drews led off the top of the fourth with an infield single and Garrett Zimmerman followed with a double to left center. Bright drove in his second run of the game to score Drews and two batters later, Timmy Lallis sent a single to center to score Zimmerman and make it a one-run game with one out and the bases loaded. Two batters later, Hank Bielen laced a single to right center for two RBI that put the Aggies on top for the first time, 7-6.
Justin Massielo, Arcadia's five-hole hitter, manufactured a run for his team in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game. He led off with a single, stole second, advanced to third on a tag-up, and scored on a ground ball to shortstop.
DelVal regained its lead in the top of the fifth as Drews led off again with a single and Zimmerman followed with a double for the second straight inning. This time, Drews motored around from first to score and put the Aggies up, 8-7. Bright drove home Zimmerman with his third RBI of the game on a single up the middle, and the visitors led, 9-7.
The Knights answered again with a lead-off home run in the bottom of the fifth and an unearned run after an error that tied the game at 9-9 after five.
DelVal was retired in order in the sixth and held to one base runner in the seventh, while the home team made its run. The Knights scored one run on two hits in the sixth and went off for nine runs on seven hits with four errors in the seventh to open up a 19-9 lead going into the eighth.
Each team scored once more in the ninth inning for the 20-10 final.
Drews and Zimmerman went 3-for-4 and scored three teams each with Zimmerman also picking up an RBI. Bright was 2-for-3 with three runs batted in and a run scored. Offensively, the Aggies had 13 hits in the game and have racked up 66 hits over their last five contests.
Dalton Moore got the start on the mound and went 2.1 frames with four strikeouts, and six runs allowed – just two earned. Seven different Aggies saw time on the mound and Cole Holsinger suffered the loss after 1.2 innings pitched and one earned run allowed.
Arcadia finished with 20 hits in the game with eight players recording multiple-hit days. Massielo and Joseph Kumar were 3-for-5 at the dish and combined for five RBI and five runs scored. Relief pitcher Owen Margolis earned the win after pitching two innings and allowing just one hit.
These two teams will conclude the series tomorrow with a doubleheader at Frank Wolfgang Field in Doylestown beginning at 12 p.m.
