The Delaware Blue Hens defeated the Liberty Flames 5-4 on April 24 at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia. Delaware took an early lead and held off a late rally by Liberty to secure the win.
This game marked the first meeting between the two teams as conference opponents. The result impacts both teams’ standings, with Liberty falling to a record of 13-6 in Conference USA and 29-13 overall, while Delaware improved to 2-17 in conference play and 13-29 overall.
Delaware built a 5-1 advantage through six and a half innings. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Liberty responded with three runs to close within one run of tying the game. However, Delaware reliever Ryan McLaughlin kept Liberty scoreless over the final two innings to preserve his team’s victory.
Liberty shortstop Tanner Marsh led all players with three hits, an RBI, and two runs scored. Third baseman Jordan Jaffe contributed two hits and drove in two runs for the Flames. Designated hitter Landon Scilly also had two hits for Liberty. Starting pitcher Ben Blair took the loss for Liberty after allowing five runs on five hits over seven innings while striking out eight batters.
For Delaware, starting pitcher Andrew Callaway earned his fifth win of the season by giving up just one run on seven hits across five and two-thirds innings without issuing any walks. Center fielder Sal Mineo opened scoring with his seventh home run of the season, while designated hitter Anthony DeCesare went two-for-three with two RBIs including his fourth home run this year.
Looking ahead, Liberty and Delaware are scheduled to meet again tomorrow for their second game in this three-game series at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
