Lumberjack's Take Opener; Delta Fights Back in Doubleheader Thriller

April 18, 2025 — Alpena, MI
Delta College split a Saturday doubleheader at Alpena Community College, dropping the opener 2–1 before rallying for a 6–5 victory in Game 2.

Game 1: Alpena 2, Delta 1
Alpena struck early and held on in the opener. Nate Koster's two‑out RBI double in the first put the Lumberjacks on the board, and Evan Fairbanks followed with another run‑scoring double two batters later to chase Delta's starter Devin Schular. Schular settled in after surrendering both runs, retiring 16 of the next 18 hitters and fanning six over six innings despite issuing four walks. Delta finally got on the board in the seventh when Jack Berthiaume plated Joseph Kowalak with an RBI single, but Jacob Brohl (7 IP, 1 ER, 6 K) slammed the door from there, finishing off a two‑hit, complete‑game effort to earn the win.

Game 2: Delta 6, Alpena 5
In the afternoon cap, Delta exploded for six runs—four in the decisive sixth inning—to turn the tables. Philip Wilber delivered a three‑RBI day, including a go‑ahead double in the sixth, and Joseph Kowalak added an RBI single earlier in the frame. Alpena answered with back‑to‑back solo homers by Evan Fairbanks and Kaden Benaske in the bottom half to tie it at 6–6, but Landon Sella slammed the door in the seventh, striking out three to notch the save. Tyson Bauman earned the win (5 IP, 1 ER, 3 K), while Alpena's Lane Gross suffered the loss despite a solid outing.

Weekend Recap
Delta falls to 8–22 on the season after splitting the doubleheader. Though Delta's bats were silenced early, a resilient offensive outburst in Game 2 and strong bullpen work give coach Cork optimism as the Pioneers head into next week's conference series.