NEWARK, Del. – A late rally was not enough as the Saint Joseph's baseball team fell to Delaware, 8-5, at Bob Hannah Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.  Brian Markoski led the Hawk offense, going 4-for-5 on the day.

Saint Joseph's (14-17) took the lead out of the gate, scoring a run without the benefit of a hit.  Brendan Hueth started things off with a one-out walk before Charlie Concannon was hit by a pitch. A passed ball moved the runners up a base before Hueth came in to score on a groundout by James McConnon.

The Blue Hens went ahead in the third as Nick Patten's two-out double scored Kevin Mohollen and Erik Bowren.  Two batters later, Jordan Hutchins singled home Patten to extend the lead to 3-1.

The Hawks threatened in the top of the fourth, loading the bases with two outs, but could not push across a run.  UD then tacked one on in the bottom half on a single by Kyle Baker.

Delaware (18-16) added three more in the sixth on hits by Bowren, Baker, and Hutchins to push the margin to 7-1.

SJU broke out for a four-spot in the seventh to get back within a pair.  Hueth and Concannon led off the frame with consecutive singles, but a double play left Hueth on third with two away.  Marc Giacalone singled him in before a walk to Kadar Namey put two on for Markoski. He followed with a triple to center to make it a 7-4 game before scoring himself on a single by Brian Vance.

Unfortunately for the Crimson and Gray, they would get no closer, as Patten would double in the eighth and come home on another RBI single by Hutchins to set the final score.

Joey Haass earned the win for the Blue Hens, improving to 2-0 after allowing one run on a hit and five walks in four innings.  Jordan DiValerio took the loss for SJU, while Colman Vila notched his third save of the season for the hosts.

The Hawks now head north to Rhode Island for an important Atlantic 10 weekend set.  First pitch in Friday's season opener is set for 3:00 p.m.