COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Some big crooked numbers in the middle innings and a steady performance from David Drea drove the Ursinus College baseball team to a 14-3 rout of Delaware Valley in its home opener on Wednesday.
Back in town after 10 games in Florida over spring break, the Bears (6-5) got right back to work with the bats. Ursinus put up 12 runs between the third and fifth innings, riding monster efforts from the first four hitters in its lineup to their third double-digit scoring total of the year.
Junior Alex Mumme finished a triple short of the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a home run to accompany three runs scored and three RBI. Mumme's homer, the 14th of his career, opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, and the slugger moved to within two of tying the all-time program record with his 42nd double.
Freshman Jon Moldoff had a pair of two-run singles for a four-RBI night in his home debut, fellow newcomers Will Peiffer drove in two runs and scored two more, and junior Dom Fiorentino reached base all six times he came to the plate at the head of the Bears' dynamic offense. Fiorentino was 2-for-2 with four walks and moved to within two hits of 100 for his career. Sophomore Eric Gross went 2-for-4 with a double and scored three runs.
Drea was the beneficiary of the fireworks. The senior left-hander worked six strong innings, allowing just one run on eight hits with no walks and a pair of strikeouts. The southpaw got out of a jam in the third, inducing an inning-ending double play with runners on the corners and the Bears leading just 1-0 at the time.
Mumme's solo shot to left put Ursinus on the board first, and the home side capitalized on Drea's third-inning escape with a big number of its own. Singles by sophomores Tom Jacobs and Gross, followed by a walk to Fiorentino, loaded the bases for Peiffer, who drew another walk to force in a run. Mumme then sent a towering fly ball to the wall in dead center, bringing in two more. Moldoff then delivered a two-run single to center to make it 6-0.
Moldoff's second two-RBI hit was half of a four-run fourth for the Bears, who also received sacrifice flies from junior Jake Supran and senior Carter Usowski in the frame.
Peiffer's RBI double headlined a three-run fifth, when the Bears took advantage of two Aggie errors to plate two more runs.
Freshman A.J. Palumbo pitched a scoreless seventh, and fellow rookie Andrew Hartman got the final five outs without allowing a hit. He struck out a pair in his 1.2 scoreless innings.
The baseball team returns to action on Friday, when they head to Gwynedd Mercy for a non-conference clash.