Hempstead, NY - Delaware starter Chad Kuhl pitched seven shutout innings, allowing just four singles with seven strikeouts, and designated hitter Nick Ferdinand drove in three runs as Delaware posted a 7-2 win over the Pride in the third and deciding game of a Colonial Athletic Association series.
Delaware improves to 10-10, 5-1 in the CAA, while Hofstra falls to 2-13 and 2-4 in league play.
Hofstra starter Jared Rogers
(0-3) held Delaware in check for the first three innings, allowing two hits, but ran into trouble in the fourth as he surrendered a one-out solo home run to Hank Yates. Ferdinand was then hit by a pitch and stole second. Alex Mottle then doubled home Ferdinand for a 2-0 Delaware lead. Hofstra Coach Patrick Anderson
replaced Rogers with Joe Burg
, who gave up a single to Logan Gallagher and a sacrifice fly to Dave Anderson before getting out of the inning.
Delaware struck for two runs in the fifth off of Burg. Aaron Mascoe started the rally with a two-out infield single. Yates followed with a ball to the shortstop hole that Matt Ford
tracked down, but could not get the out at first, for a second infield hit. Ferdinand then knocked in both runners with an RBI single to deep centerfield.
The Blue Hens would tack on two more in the seventh as Dylan Shupe and Ferdinand each had RBI doubles.
The Pride got to the Delaware bullpen to avoid the shutout as Danny Poma
drilled his first home run of the season in the eighth off of Jeff Murray and T.J. Thomas
had an RBI double off of Nick Young in the ninth.
Rogers allowed four hits and three earned runs in 3 1/3 innings of work. Thomas finished the day with two hits in three at-bats.
Pat Dameron, Yates and Ferdinand all had two-hit games for Delaware. Kuhl evened his record at 1-1.
Hofstra will be back in action this Wednesday, March 23, when it travels to the Bronx, NY, for a meeting with the Jaspers of Manhattan College at 3 p.m.
