Jeremy Wagner led Towson’s offensive front, wasn’t enough for a Tigers’ win
By Tommy Pelle, staff writer
With the baseball season beginning to dwindle, the Tigers hosted the Delaware Blue Hens for a three-game series over the weekend. Trying to avoid the sweep on Sunday, the Blue Hens would prove to be too much for the Tigers, with Towson losing 16-7.
With their playoff chances near zero, the Tigers are looking to play spoiler as they play some premier teams in the CAA over the last few weeks of the season. Delaware sits fifth in the CAA looking to secure a spot in the CAA tournament. Towson would be outmatched by the Blue Hens, who were swept for the fourth time in CAA play.
“Delaware’s a pretty good talent. They can swing the bats with anybody that we’ve played all year,” said head coach Matt Tyner after Sunday’s loss. “They play good solid defense… you got to put in play with some impact if you want to beat that kind of defense.”
The Blue Hens kicked off the game, scoring three runs in the first inning. In the second inning, Delaware centerfielder Bryce Greenly and first baseman Eric Ludman hit back-to-back solo shots to make it a 5-0 Blue Hens.
Towson would chip away at the deficit in the second. Jeremy Wagner would continue to swing a hot bat, scoring Casey Bishop on an RBI single. Heading into the third inning, the Tigers trailed 5-1.
However, Delaware would proceed to crush any hopes the Tigers had of building momentum. The Blue Hens would score six unanswered runs, putting five across the plate in the fifth, including another solo homer from Ludman.
While the game looked bleak, the Tigers refused to go away. Towson would score two more runs in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a fielder’s choice for Cole Stefano and an RBI single from Elijah Dickerson.
However, just like they had all game long, the Blue Hens would respond to the Tigers’ offensive efforts. An inside-the-park homerun from Aaron Graeber would build the Delaware lead to 10, making it a 13-3 ballgame.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Tigers needed to get something going if they wanted to ruin Delaware’s day. With the bases loaded, Towson shortstop Jordan Peyton crushed a ball into the right-center gap, earning himself a bases-clearing triple to make it 14-6.
The Blue Hens would score two more runs in the ninth, making it 16-6. An RBI single by Taye Robinson would not be enough for the Tigers as Towson would fall 16-7 to the Blue Hens.
“Every mistake we made from a pitching performance was just hammered. And every mistake they made was not hammered,” said a dejected coach Tyner.
On a positive note for the Tigers, outfielder Jeremy Wagner had a remarkable series. Wagner was a constant thorn in the side of the Blue Hens pitching staff. Wagner hit .583 with five RBIs and his first two homers of the year this weekend.
“He’s one of those players that needs a little bit of runway to get going,” said Tyner. “He seems to be in that groove.”
The Tigers are now 10-33 and 3-15 in CAA play. Their next game is Tuesday against the University of Maryland at home, with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.
