Baseball Improves to 5-1 In Region With Sweep

Saginaw Twp, MI -  Delta hosted Region XII foe Lorain County on Sunday in the second half of the home-and-home series against the Commodores coming from behind to win game one 11-4 before walking off the visitors in mercy fashion 14-4 in the nightcap.  The wins improve Delta's overall record to 21-16 while they improve to 5-1 within the region standings.  Lorain remains 0-6 in region play while Schoolcraft is 3-1.  Delta plays Schoolcraft on Tuesday and should they sweep will have the best record in Region XII and will get the top seed in the tournament.

Game one saw Lorain jump out to a lead in the first inning after two singles and homerun put the visitors on top 3-0.  Delta got single runs in each of the next three innings while starting pitcher Chase Beyersdorf threw three straight zeros on the board.  With the score tied 3-3 heading into the bottom half of the fourth, Delta scored three runs as Justin Heinlein singled and scored on a Brady Leppek hit.  Leppek came around to score on a Z Westley double while Westley eventually scored on the back end of a double steal.

Both teams traded runs in the fifth inning but Delta put up a four-spot in the bottom of the sixth putting the game out of reach.  Westly and Ty Robbins both doubled in the inning.  Ethan Lesperance, who had replaced Beyersdorf in the sixth, surrendered an unearned run in the final frame for the final score. 

Westley led the Delta offense, going three-for-four in the game with three runs, two stolen bases and an RBI.  Ty Robbins also collected three hits with three runs and two steals while Heinlein added two hits and two RBI.  Beyersdorf got the win to improve his season record to 1-1 after throwing five innings and striking out five.

Lorain once again jumped on top of Delta in the nightcap scoring a run on back to back hits in the second inning before the Pioneers responded with six runs of their own in the bottom of the frame.  Zach Schirmer's two RBI double scored Tyler Snover and Dylan Steinke before Peton Jurek's single drove home Schirmer.  Aaron Esparza scored Jurek with a stand-up triple before Hunter David walked to put runners at the corners.  After a Lorain pitching change, Dean Marais hit one deep of the right-center fence to score both runners to make it 6-1 in favor of Delta.

The Pioneers scored single runs in the third and fourth to up their lead to 8-1 before Lorain finally answered with back-to-back homeruns in the fifth to cut the lead in half.  Starting pitcher Kane Bourbina was lifted in favor of Guy Henika who ended the threat with three quick outs.  The Pioneers would then plate six runs in the bottom of the frame courtesy of two errors, three hits and three walks to induce the mercy rule and win, 14-4.

Bourbina collected his first collegiate win on the mound, throwing four innings and giving up four earned runs on seven hits.  Esparza, Steinke, Snover and Jurek each had multi-hit games to lead the Pioneers.

"Above and beyond the fact that we won the game is the fact that we got to play a home game at Wickes Park in front of a great crowd," said head coach Danny Smith.  "I've told the men that if we could just get some consistency in the schedule and field locations, we're ready to take off in a big way.  Today is proof of that."

Delta next plays Tuesday at Schoolcraft College in Taylor.  Game time is set for 2pm.