By Brad Greer

 The North Delta School Green Wave ended its regular season the same way it got started, that being with a 6-3 loss to Kirk Tuesday afternoon. Earlier in the day, the Wave saw it’s 10-game winning streak snapped by Magnolia Heights 12-0 in five innings.

Nevertheless, North Delta finishes the  regular season with a 11-5 record and now will host a first-round playoff game either Monday or Tuesday against a No. 2 wild card team.

In the opening game, Magnolia Heights scored three runs in the fourth and six more in the fifth to win going away. Derrick Johnson struck out seven and did not allow a walk in four innings of work to pick up the victory. Ethan Taylor gave up 10 runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings in the losing cause. Ethan Waldrip pitched 2/3 of a inning while surrendering two runs on a pair of hits and fanning one.

Magnolia Heights, (15-4), took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a leadoff single by Parker Gains followed by Shane Turnage’s double. The Chiefs then picked up some good baseball fortune in the third as Jeremy Massie reached on a infield popup with one out. After Jake Brigman popped out to third, Jimmy Braswell blooped a double that landed just on the left field grass beyond third base.Gains then drilled a two-run double to drive in both runners.

North Delta missed a golden opportunity in the third as Bailey Gurkert singled and Michael Magee doubled to start the inning only to have Johnson retire the next three hitters and wiggle out of danger. The Green Wave also left runners on second and third in the first as Johnson fanned Bateman Greenlee to end the threat.

Magnolia Heights tacked on three more runs off two North Delta errors to take a 6-0 lead with Turnage’s second RBI double being the only hit of the inning.

The Chiefs then batted around in the fifth inning, sending ten men to the plate while scoring six runs on six hits. Massie and Braswell’s RBI doubles highlighted the inning.

North Delta meanwhile managed five hits in the game with Jim Tom Copeland, Hunter West and Taylor providing singles.

In the nightcap, Channing Martin fanned 10 while scattering six hits to earn the complete-game win for the Raiders. Kirk, who blanked North Delta 8-0 in the first game of the season, got three hits apiece from Brent Bowman and Sam Denley in the win. Copeland was tagged with the loss for the Green Wave as the sophomore give up all six runs on ten hits while walking three and fanning four. Geri Lamm pitched a scoreless seventh in relief.

Kirk, (11-10), took a 3-0 lead in the first on a pair of doubles by Bowman and Martin and a single off the bat of Luke Morman.Later in the inning, Luke Vaughn stroked a two-out bases loaded single to drive in a pair of runs.

   The Green Wave picked up a run in the bottom of the fourth as Austin Gant drew a leadoff then proceeded to steal second base. Greenlee then roped a double to left-center for North Delta’s first hit that drove in Gant.

  Kirk ex paned the lead to 6-1 in the top of the sixth on Denley’s single and a two-out two-run double from Martin. North Delta would not go down without making some noise however as they cut the lead in half at 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh.

   After West fanned, John Cody Dalrymple smashed a double and scored on a pair of wild pitches to start the rally. Two batters later, Magee doubled while Copeland and Taylor followed with singles. But with runners on first and second and the tieing run at the plate, Martin got Gant to ground out to first to end the game.

    Kirk was also victorious in the ‘ B’ game 9-4. Gant doubled and singled to lead the Green Wave at the plate. Gurkert added a RBI double while Waldrip and Tyler Toole each recorded singles.