But there was no mistaking the formula for success in Tuesday's 10-0 win over Warren Hills in a Skyland Conference Raritan Division clash on a sun-splashed afternoon in Alexandria Township.
Coach Marty White's Terriers (6-8 overall, 4-5 division), who also beat Warren Hills, 7-3, on April 11, got excellent pitching, solid defense and timely hitting. Right-hander Chris Fiaschetti fired a four-hit shutout, while the offense logged a pair of five-run innings in the fifth and sixth to close it out.
Senior first baseman Scott Skripko belted a three-run shot in the sixth to put Del Val up, 9-0, and senior third baseman Ryan Hann ended it with a walk-off solo shot over the left-center-field fence to enforce the 10-run mercy rule.
"This was a good win," said White, whose team has won three in a row for the first time this season. "Some days we are really good and some days we are average. When you play clean baseball, I believe, you always have a chance to win."
Del Val was as clean as it gets. Fiaschetti retired the first 11 batters he faced before giving up a single through the left side past a diving Hann to Warren Hills second baseman Shea Kohler, who had two of the Streaks' four hits.
Fiaschetti (3-2) retired seven of the final 10 batters -- he faced 22 total -- and worked out of a first-and-third jam in the sixth by getting cleanup hitter Michael Lascu on a ground ball to second. Despite falling behind in the count on eight of the first 10 hitters he faced, Fiaschetti was extremely economical with his pitches -- throwing 36 through four frames. He struck out two and walked none.
"I felt good today. My fastball and changeup were mostly working," said Fiaschetti, who has earned victories in his last two appearances. "[Catcher Chris Pilone and I] kept going with that combo. When I needed an out pitch, I threw a cutter or a curveball."
Fiaschetti admitted he started thinking about the possibility of his first no-hitter after sending down the first 11 in order. With zero runs on the board, it was imperative that he just focus on recording outs.
"It was in the back of my mind, but my goal is to throw strikes and get outs," he said. "Let the offense take care of itself."
Defensively, Del Val shortstop Reed Williams made a nice leaping grab of Cody Crowley's liner in the fourth, while Pilone made a nice play on a slow dribbler in front of home to get Anthony Veneziano at first for the last out in the fifth.
Warren Hills (5-11, 3-5), which had won three of its last four coming in, struggled at the plate and didn't help itself in the field. Coach Mike Quinto's club committed three errors, including one in the fifth that extended the inning.
Starter Nathaniel Capone was effective early on, as the right-hander retired 11 of the first 14 batters he faced and threw a total of 36 pitches in four innings.
In the second inning, Del Val cleanup hitter Joe Chiarino led off with a single, but was erased trying to steal second base. Pilone reached on an error, but Capone retired Adam Novotny on a fly ball to center to end the inning. In the third, Frank McHugh, just called up from the JV, singled and reached second on a wild pitch but was stranded there.
"I figured this would be a 1-0, 2-0 ballgame," Quinto said. "Nathaniel was throwing well and hitting his spots. Then, his pitches were flat and he was leaving stuff over the plate. And we didn't make plays behind him."
Things unraveled for the visitors in the fifth. After a leadoff strikeout by Pilone, singles by Novotny and designated hitter Joe Egidio and an error, loaded the bases for Del Val. Chris Innocenti plated the first run with a single to left. With the bases still loaded, Reed Williams lined out for the second out, but the Terriers weren't finished as cleanup man Skripko's infield single made it 2-0.
The bases were still juiced when another error allowed the third run to score before Hann's single down the left-field line plated two more for a 5-0 lead. In all, Del Val sent 11 men to the plate, as Pilone, the 10th Terrier to hit, singled to chase Capone. Reliever Alex Racano retired Novtony on a flyout to center to end the inning.
Del Val picked it up again in the sixth as the first five batters reached base. McHugh, who reached base in all three of his at-bats, and Egidio singled back-to-back and scored on Skripko's jack over the left-field fence. In two games against Warren Hills, Skripko is 4-for-8 with seven RBIs.
Hann's first blast of the year and Del Val's third -- Skripko has the other two -- sent everyone home early.
"It's nice. Lately, I've been seeing the ball well," said Hann, who went 2-for-4. "I was just trying to get a base hit. Fiaschetti was throwing a great game and we wanted to help with some run support. We've got a lot of momentum right now."
WARREN HILLS (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Lawson ss 3-0-0-0, Crowley cf 3-0-1-0, Kohler 2b 3-0-2-0, Lascu 1b 3-0-0-0, Julian 3b 2-0-0-0, Legreide dh/Capone p 2-0-1-0, Stagaard c 2-0-0-0, Veneziano rf 2-0-0-0, Cummings lf 2-0-0-0. Totals: 22-0-4-0.
DELAWARE VALLEY (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Innocenti lf 4-1-1-1, Williams ss 4-1-0-1, Skripko 1b 4-2-2-4, Chiarino 2b 4-0-1-0, Hann 3b 4-1-2-3, Pilone c 3-0-1-0, Novotny ss 3-1-1-0, McHugh rf 3-2-2-0, Egidio dh/Fiaschetti p 3-2-2-0. Totals: 28-3-9-3.
Warren Hills (5-11, 3-5) 000 000 -- 0 4 3
Delaware Valley (6-8, 4-5) 000 055 -- 10 12 0
E -- Lawson, Julian, Kohler. LOB -- Warren Hills 4; Delaware Valley 5. HR -- Skripko (2, 6th inning off Racano, 2 on, 1 out), Hann (1, sixth inning off Racano, 0 on, 2 outs). CS -- Chiarino.
Capone, Racano (5) and Stagaard. Fiaschetti and Pilone. W -- Fiaschetti (3-2). L -- Capone (2-2). SO-BB -- Capone 4-0, Racano 0-0; Fiaschetti 2-0. WP -- Capone.
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