The Deltaville Deltas used a six-run sixth inning to erase a mid-game deficit, and won their opening night game by the score of 12-7 on Saturday.

With several new faces joining Deltas’ veterans in the lineup, the Deltas got on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Newcomer Nathan Vaughan led the game off with a single and scored on an RBI from 15-season veteran Alexander Crittenden.

The Trash Pandas evened the score at 1-1 in the fourth, and in the fifth a pair of defensive errors by the Deltaville defense led to a five-run inning for the visitors.

Trailing 6-1 after the disastrous fifth inning, the Deltas scraped back immediately. In the bottom half of the frame, a hit by Colton Smith and RBIs from Spencer Crittenden and Andrew Cole cut the lead to 6-3.

In the sixth, the Deltas took advantage of three walks by the Trash Panda bullpen with three more hits. Capping the six-run rally was a bases-loaded infield hit by Vaughan, who hit a soft ground ball up the 1st baseline. The speedy leadoff hitter was on track to beat the throw, but the Trash Pandas tried to make the play anyway and ended up sailing the ball into the outfield, allowing all three runs to score and give Deltaville a 9-6 lead.

The Deltas plated three more runs in the seventh, and while the Trash Pandas managed a run in the eighth, the outcome was sealed.

Deltaville used the opening game to get work for six different pitchers. Kaden Hunley tossed a pair of scoreless innings to start the game. He was relieved by former GHS standouts Dylan Deyoung and Austin Shackleford, as well as Jay Moore, Nash Withers and Justin Hale. Withers was credited with the win as the pitcher of record when Deltaville took the lead in the sixth. Combined, the pitchers scattered six hits and struck out eight, and allowed four earned runs.

Benny Walker led the Deltas’ offense. The fourth-year Delta went 3-for-3 at the plate, scoring one run and driving another in. Vaughan joined Walker on the leaderboard with two hits, scoring two runs and a run batted in.

The Deltas play twice this week, going on the road Thursday night for a matchup with Richmond’s Caribe Baseball. On Saturday, the Deltas return home to face last season’s second-seeded team, the Richmond River Dogs. First pitch at Deltaville Ballpark is at 7:30 p.m., and will once again be broadcast on 104.9 WIGO.