University of Delaware baseball clinches CAA Tournament bid

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The University of Delaware baseball team clinched its sixth Colonial Athletic Association Tournament berth in the last seven years by sweeping a doubleheader at William & Mary on Friday.

Salesianum graduate Kyle Hinton went the distance and struck out 13 in a two-hit shutout as the Blue Hens (27-23, 11-9 CAA) won the first game 6-0. St. Mark’s grad Billy Sullivan IV pitched five strong innings as UD won the second game 6-5.

No game was played Saturday because of graduation ceremonies at William & Mary. The Hens will go for a three-game sweep at 1 p.m. Sunday, with St. Mark’s grad Chris Ludman scheduled to start on the mound.

Dougherty, Oakley advance in Open qualifying

ROCKLAND – Tower Hill senior Danny Dougherty and veteran professional Zac Oakley from Lewes each shot 3-under-par 68s to advance through local qualifying for the U.S. Open golf tournament on Thursday at DuPont Country Club.

Amateur Erick Alonso of Jupiter, Florida; mini-tour professional David Sanders of Mount Laurel, N.J.; and amateur Cole Miller of New Tripoli, Pennsylvania, also advanced.

The five players each earned a spot in 36-hole sectional qualifying tournaments to be held around the country on June 4. A successful finish in the sectionals will land a spot in the U.S. Open, to be played June 14-17 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York.

DIAA scholarships awards

The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association has announced nine seniors from around the state as winners of the 2018 DIAA/Harry Roberts Senior Scholar Athlete awards, based on students’ academic, athletic and leadership accomplishments.

Girls scholarship winners are Isabelle Pilson of Tower Hill ($2,000), Nyra Giles of Laurel ($1,500) and Stephanie Horne of Caesar Rodney and Christina Bourantas of Wilmington Christian ($1,000). Boys winners are Thomas Pomatto of Caesar Rodney and Michael Chen of Newark Charter ($2,000), Nikhil Mehta of Appoquinimink ($1,500) and Miles Petersen of Sanford and Paul Thompson of Mount Pleasant ($1,000).

The awards are named in memory of Dr. Harry Roberts, former superintendent of the Caesar Rodney School District, who served on many DIAA committees. Since their inception, 107 scholarships have been awarded to seniors from 33 DIAA member schools.

Hens add three men’s golfers

The University of Delaware has added three men’s golf recruits who will begin play next fall. Appoquinimink senior Matt Pulgini, who has finished in the top three at the DIAA Golf Tournament the last two years, will join Cole Alibozek of Upton, Massachusetts, and Roberto Nieves of Miami as freshmen on the Hens’ roster.

Three UD laxers honored

Three members of the University of Delaware women’s lacrosse team – seniors Taylor Carpentier and Becky Gohsler and junior Chantae Simms – have been named to the IWLCA All-Mid Atlantic Region second team. The Blue Hens (8-10) wrapped up their season with a first-round loss to James Madison in the CAA Tournament last week.

Witherell thrives at Washington and Lee

FOREST, Va. – Salesianum graduate A.J. Witherell, a junior attackman at Washington and Lee, has been named Old Dominion Athletic Conference Men’s Lacrosse Player of the Year for the second straight season.

Witherell set the school record with 88 points last year and had 89 points (58 goals, 31 assists) going into the Generals’ (15-5) game at Dickinson on Saturday in the third round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Delaware Tech softball earns honors

Delaware Tech softball players Megan Fry, a freshman from Milford, and Brooke Stoeckel, a sophomore from Sussex Central, have been named to the NJCAA All-Region XIX first team. Fry hit .457 with five home runs and 33 RBIs, while Stoeckel batted .363 with three homers and 27 RBIs. Freshmen Madison McGee (Indian River) and Elizabeth Smith (Caravel) were named to the All-Region second team.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ