Pioneers Open Post Season with Win

Battle Creek – The Delta College baseball team, tabbed the #4 seed in the Region XII tournament, defeated the #5 seed Grand Rapids today, 5-3 in a back and forth affair that wasn't decided until the final at-bat.

With the score tied at 3-3 entering the top of the ninth, Delta catcher Watson Moore laced a one out single to left field – his third hit of the day.  After a bloop single off the bat of Zack Booth put runners at first and second with one out, leadoff hitter Derrek Clyde was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Grand Rapids opted for a pitching change while Delta pinch hit with sophomore Brady Marwede.  On the first pitch, Marwede laid down a suicide squeeze bunt to score Moore.  On the throw to first to get Marwede, Zack Booth scooted home from second and slid ahead of the tag to put Delta up 5-3. 

Cody Orban, who had entered the game on the hill in the seventh, got two flyouts and a groundout to preserve the victory.

"We consider ourselves the king of the 1-run ballgame," said Delta coach Danny Smith.  "Our guys know how to handle tense situations.  We don't fold in tight games and the closer the score towards the end of the game, the more we tend to excel."

Delta got on the board in the first when Clyde laced a triple to right center off the base of the fence and scored on a Justin Heinlein groundout to give DC a 1-0 lead.  Grand Rapids answered right back off of Pioneer pitcher Austin Dingee with two runs in the bottom of the inning on three hits, a walk and an error. 

The score could have been 3-1 had left fielder Ty Robbins not gunned a player at the plate to end the inning and collect his fourteenth outfield assist of the season.

Grand Rapids threatened to score in the third but Delta right fielder Dean Marais gunned a runner out at third trying to advance to end the inning.  It was Marais seventh outfield assist on the year.  In the next inning, Robbins collected his fifteenth assist on the year in throwing out a runner at third to keep the score, 2-1.

"Ty Robbins is the best all-around freshman in our league," said Smith.  "He hits, he steals bases, he closes games on the mound and obviously, he has a rocket for an arm.  With him and Dean in the outfield and Zack Booth in center, we have a tough outfield."

Moore got things going once again in the fifth for Delta with a single before being advancing to third on an error and a passed ball.  Booth would then hit a ball to the warning track to score Moore and tie the game.

Grand Rapids got a one-out double in the bottom of the sixth to chase Dingee from the mound before Matt Sahr would come out of the pen and get a fly ball.  But a walk and a single made the score 3-2 and put the Raiders back on top.  Sahr would then get a bases loaded strikeout to keep the score within distance. 

In the top of the seventh, it was Moore again that jump started the offense with a single.  Booth then bunted him to second and Derrek Clyde scored him on a single to left to tie the game and set up the final inning.

"Watson Moore had a rough first and second inning defensively," said Smith.  "To see him overcome failure and put this offense on his back was something special.  Great kid, heckuva competitor."

Aside from Moore, Clyde had two hits and score a run.  Ty Robbins had a single a double and stolen base while Booth added a single and a run. 

Delta, 30-20 on the season, will play the winner of #1 seed Jackson vs #8 Sinclair tomorrow at noon.  The game will be at CO Brown stadium.