Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, DE -- Chris Nehl roped four hits and finished a double shy of the cycle as he helped the University of Delaware baseball team salvage its doubleheader against Lafayette with a 15-2 victory in the nightcap after dropping a 12-7 decision to the Leopards in the opener at Bob Hannah Stadium on Friday afternoon.

Nehl (at right) crushed his first home run of the season in the third inning of the second game and added an RBI triple in the fourth before rounding out his day with two singles and a walk. Adam Tsakonas also extended his career-long hitting streak to 14 games after collecting a hit in both ends of the twin bill.

After dropping the opener, the Hens found themselves in a tough situation in the second game after Lafayette (9-6) scored twice in the first inning and held Delaware (6-14) scoreless for the first two frames.

In the third, the Delaware lineup started to find its stride as Nehl put the Hens on the board after crushing a home run to right. One inning later, Delaware took its first lead of the day after scoring three runs. The rally was highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of Pat Dameron that plated Bill Merkler and Scott Shockley. Nehl followed with a run-scoring triple to deep center field that just barely missed clearing the fence.

The Blue Hens had no interest in letting the game slip away as they quickly extended their two-run lead into a 10-run advantage after notching an eight-run fifth. Tsakonas started the inning with a single, stole second, and scored on a hit by Alex Buchholz. After Ryan Reed was hit by a pitch, Merkler clubbed a three-run shot to left. Following back-to-back hits by Shockley and Dameron, the former came home on a wild pitch and the latter scored on a three-run home run by Kyle Davis.

Up 10, the Hens cruised behind the strong pitching performance of starter Brad Miller. The sophomore righty worked seven innings, striking out nine while allowing only a single earned run. Eventually, he handed the ball off to the bullpen, which continued the Hens’ dominance on the mound. Alex Dalsey worked a perfect eighth before David Slovak locked down the win after striking out two in the ninth.

Miller (2-0) picked up his second victory of the season, while Lafayette’s Zach Fritz (1-1) was handed the loss after allowing four runs in his four innings of work.

In the first game, the Leopards quickly took control after pouncing on the Hens with a six-run first. After Mike McGuire induced a ground out to start the inning, Tom Hayes lifted a high-fly ball to right that he eventually stretched into a wind-aided double after Jared Olson could not corral the ball.

Following back-to-back walks to Chris Luick and Tom Ambrosole, Matt Hall roped a two-run single and Joe Ezekiel followed with an RBI ground out. Jeff Butler and Daniel Bierce also notched run-scoring hits before Bierce came across with the final run of the inning after stealing third and coming home on a throwing error by Reed.

The game never seemed in-reach after that point and the ball continued to bounce Lafayette’s way as evidenced by a fluke play in the bottom of the first. With one out, Adam Tsakonas pulled a ball high into foul territory near third base. Although Jeff Butler got his glove on it, the ball squirted out of the webbing only to find its way into Ambrosole’s catcher’s mitt after he chased down the rebound.

Lafayette continued to stretch its lead as Luick clubbed a home run in the second and Butler lined an RBI single in the third. The Leopards tacked on two more in the fourth after Rob Froio stole home as part of a double steal and Hall notched his second RBI hit of the game to take a 10-0 lead.

Down double-digits, the Hens showed life in the middle innings. In the fourth, Reed and Pat Dameron both notched singles before Scott Shockley blasted a three-run home run to right field. It was his first homer since cranking one as a freshman against Georgia State on May 12, 2006.

One inning later, after Lafayette scored twice in the top of the fifth, Jared Olson matched Shockley with his own three-run homer. Following a single by Buchholz and a walk to Reed, the junior cleared the right field wall with his third home run of the season.

The Hens capped the scoring in the sixth after Tsakonas extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a double to left and came around on a single by Buchholz.

Jeremy Atkins (2-0) picked up the win for Lafayette, while McGuire (2-2) suffered his second loss of the season after giving up nine earned runs in four innings of work.

Along with Nehl, Buchholz, Davis, and Dameron all had four hits during the doubleheader, while Shockley finished with a team-high five, including two doubles and a home run.

The Blue Hens will return to action on Tuesday for the opening round of the Liberty Bell Classic when they take on Saint Joseph’s at Bob Hannah Stadium with the first pitch scheduled at 3 p.m.

Game No. 1 Boxscore

Game No. 2 Boxscore