GREENSBORO – The Delaware Blue Hens scored 13 unanswered runs on their way to a 13-6 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) baseball contest at War Memorial Stadium on Friday. The Aggies produced 13 hits, including two extra-base hits, but dropped to 20-17 overall and 4-9 in conference play. The Blue Hens hit four home runs on Friday to improve to 19-17 overall and 7-6 in CAA action.
A&T right-handed starter Coley Kilpatrick (L, 5-2) retired the Blue Hens in order in the first inning before the Aggies scored three runs off Delaware RHP Doug Marose (W, 3-1). Graduate infielder Tatsunori Negishi singled before going to second on a wild pitch. Junior catcher Canyon Brown hit a laser shot to left-center field to score Negishi for the game's first run.
Senior infielder Tre Williams followed with his third home run of the season, a two-run blast over the right-field wall, to give the Aggies a 3-0 lead. Marose exited the inning without any further damage, as the Blue Hens got a run back in the second when Kilpatrick balked in a run with the bases loaded. Kilpatrick, who had six strikeouts on the evening, K'ed the next two batters he faced to end the inning.
A&T's offensive kept producing, with senior infielder Devon Rodriguez earning a one-out hit before advancing two bases on a wild pitch. Junior infielder Enrique Wood took advantage by hitting an RBI sacrifice fly to right to score Rodriguez. After Kilpatrick set the Blue Hens down in order in the third inning, the game turned in the fourth when Aaron Graeber hit a three-run homer to right to tie the game at 4-4.
While the Blue Hens rallied, Marose shut down seven straight Aggies. Delaware took the lead for the first time as Graeber led off the sixth inning with another home run. Kilpatrick got Josearmando Diaz to ground out and Tanner Dunion to strike out before Brett Lesher's single led to the Aggies removing Kilpatrick from the game for RHP Avery Cain after Kilpatrick threw 115 pitches.
After walking the first two batters he faced, Cain got Joey Loynd to fly out to center to end the inning. But the Blue Hens produced a four-run seventh and a three-run eighth to take a 12-4 lead. Delaware hit another run in the ninth off the bat of Eric Ludman to post 13 unanswered runs.
A few Aggies recorded their first career hits to help A&T score two runs in the ninth. Freshman pinch-hitter Ellis Reid opened the ninth with his first career hit, an infield single. Graduate pinch-hitter Grayson Pressler followed with another single before junior Kristian Amaro earned his first hit and RBI as an Aggie with a single to center field.
After Delaware RHP Christian Colmery hit Sikes with a pitch to load the bases, Williams hit into a double play to score the Aggies final run. Williams had a 3-for-5 day with a run scored and two RBIs. Graeber had a big game for the Blue Hens, going 4-for-5 with six RBIs and three runs scored. The second game of the series is Saturday at 2 p.m. from War Memorial.
