Offense was not an issue for the Deltaville Deltas last weekend, as the team came from behind twice to defeat the Tappahannock Tides, 14-8 and 9-3.
With the wins, Deltaville improved to 11-2 on the season, and holds a full-game lead over second-place York.
The Deltas have a three-game series this weekend with the third-place Peninsula Cardinals. On Saturday, they host the Cardinals in a 5:30 p.m. doubleheader at Deltaville Ballpark. On Sunday, the Deltas travel to Charles Brown Park in Yorktown for a 4 p.m. contest.
Deltas 14, Tides 8
The Deltas and Tides combined for 27 hits in a slugfest Friday night at Essex High School, with the visitors ultimately prevailing, 14-8.
The Deltas took a 2-0 first-inning lead, thanks to a Chris King two-RBI single. However, Tappahannock halved the lead in the bottom half of the inning, and scored again in the third and fourth innings to take a 5-2 lead.
In the top of the fifth, Deltaville mounted its comeback. After the Deltas cut the lead to 5-3, Gloucester High School alumni Jimmy Denny smacked a two-run single to tie the game, and another former GHS standout, Ryan Wiggins, added another single two pitches later to give Deltaville a 6-5 lead.
King and Denny each had two-RBI singles in the sixth to extend the Deltas’ lead to 10-5. Both teams would trade runs in the late innings, but Tappahannock did not seriously threaten again.
Denny paced the offense with a huge night, going 5-for-6 with four RBIs. King also knocked in four runs on a 2-for-5 night. Luke Kirk and Wiggins each went 3-for-6.
Smiley Smith started the game on the mound and earned the win. He allowed five runs (four earned) while striking out six over five innings. Kyle Hall completed the game, striking out seven over four innings, allowing three runs (one earned).
Deltas 9, Tides 3
Before the fireworks were shot Saturday night, the Deltas’ bats took a turn at lighting up the sky above Deltaville Ballpark.
The Deltas blasted three home runs and 10 other hits as they rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to defeat the Tides, 9-3.
Before an out had been recorded, Tappahannock had scored twice on a trio of consecutive hits.
Deltaville then opened up its playbook and called for "long ball." Denny turned on a 1-1 pitch in the bottom of the third inning for a two-run home run over the right field wall to tie the game. King followed an inning later, driving a laser over the left field wall for another two-run shot, giving Deltaville a 4-2 lead.
In the fifth inning, an RBI double by Luke Saunders extended the lead to 6-2. Following a Kirk RBI single, GHS graduate Brett Crawford dialed in an 2-0 pitch for another two-run Delta home run.
That was all the offense Deltaville’s pitching needed. Starting pitcher Jay Moore scattered nine hits over five-plus innings, allowing three runs while striking out five. He improved to 5-0 on the season. Will Barrack and Ryan Fleischmann combined for four innings of shutout relief, striking out three and two, respectively, over two innings of work apiece.
King led the offense with a three-hit night, including his home run. Crawford, Travis Crump and Brandon Putney each had two hits in the game.