The Aggies opened their conference play Friday afternoon against Misericordia, who built an early lead and held off a late Delaware Valley rally to secure a 17–9 win.
The Cougars wasted little time putting runs on the board in the first inning. Patten delivered a two-run double to left center before McDonough followed with another two-run double, giving Misericordia a 4–0 advantage.
Misericordia added to the lead in the second when Kanwisher doubled and later scored on an error during Dillard's at-bat. The miscue allowed two runs to cross, pushing the margin to 6–0.
Two more runs came home in the fourth. Dillard drove in St. Pierre with a single to center, and Daminger added an RBI groundout to extend the lead to 8–0.
The Cougars broke the game open in the fifth inning with eight runs on eight hits. Kanwisher started the scoring with an RBI double, Patten added another run-scoring double, and McDonough capped the frame with a three-run home run to left-center as Misericordia stretched the lead to 16–0.
Delaware Valley broke through in the sixth inning when
Nate Ludwick and
Matteo Viola reached base before
Gavin Migliori lifted a sacrifice fly to center, bringing home Ludwick for the Aggies' first run.
After Misericordia added another run in the seventh, Delaware Valley mounted a strong rally in the eighth.
Liam Martin and
Nathan Fisher opened the inning with singles, and Viola drove both home with a double to right center. Walks to Migliori,
Daniel Murphy, and
Taylor McKeta brought in another run before
Pat Higgins cleared the bases with a three-run triple to center. Higgins later scored on a wild pitch as the Aggies plated seven runs in the frame.
Migliori added one more in the ninth with a solo home run to left field to close the scoring.
Martin led the Aggies at the plate with four hits, while Viola collected two hits and two RBIs. Migliori finished with two hits, including the home run, and Higgins drove in three runs with his eighth-inning triple.
Patrick Flynn took the loss after allowing eight runs over 3.2 innings. Misericordia starter Bryan Henry earned the win, allowing one run over six innings before Delaware Valley's late surge against the bullpen.
The Aggies return to action on Sunday to close out their conference series against Misericordia with a double header starting at 12:00 PM.
