ND Baseball

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Playoffs hopes took dive for ND early in season

By Brad Greer

With the regular season nearly at the halfway point, North Delta saw its baseball playoff hopes take a serious blow Thursday after dropping a doubleheader 6-2 and 9-3 to visiting Marshall Academy. The losses dropped the Green Wave to 0-6 in district 1-2A play and 3-8 overall while Marshall improved to 10-2; 3-0 in district action.

In the opening game, Will Patton pitched a complete game to  guide Marshall to a 6-2 victory. The senior southpaw gave up two unearned runs on six hits while striking out eight and walking one.

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Ethan Taylor took the loss on the hill for North Delta by surrendering six runs (five earned), on five hits while walking five and fanning six in four innings. Geri Lamm pitched three scoreless innings in relief of Taylor by giving up two hits and fanning one.

Marshall jumped to a 4-0 lead in the top of the second on three hits while taking advantage of a pair of North Delta errors. Joey Brock’s double along with singles by Elgin Lafever and Josh Vanderburg were key hits in the inning.

The Patriots added a pair of runs in the third and fourth innings to expand the lead to 6-0.  J.W. Ray led off the third inning with a walk then advanced to third on a error and scored on a Caleb Byrd two-out infield single. In the fourth, Jake Omedeo drew a walk with one out then advanced to third on Ray’s single. Jacob McMinn followed with a sacrifice fly to score Omedeo.

North Delta got on board in the fifth inning by plating two runs to trim the Marshall lead to 6-2. Sy Pritchard got the rally started by reaching first on a leadoff error followed by consecutive singles from John Cody Dalrymple and Lamm. Austin Gant lofted a deep sacrifice fly to score Dalrymple for the final run.

Dalrymple led North Delta at the plate with two singles while Michael Magee added a double. Jim Tom Copeland, Derrick Shawn and Lamm all registered singles for the Wave.

North Delta was its own worst enemy in the second game of the twinbill as the Green Wave committed six errors in the contest. Marshall’s six-run second inning was more than enough cushion for starting pitcher Joey Brock who struck out nine while scattering six hits and three earned runs over six innings.

The Patriots added another run in the third on two singles and an error on two outs. North Delta got all their runs in the bottom of the fourth on three straight singles by Copeland, Magee and Taylor. Three batters later, Shawn ripped an RBI single up the middle to score Taylor.

Ethan Waldrip took the loss on the hill by giving up five runs (two earned) on three hits in 1.1 innings.  Renic Greenlee finished out the game by going 5.2 innings, fanning five on eight hits while giving up four unearned runs.

Copeland led the Green Wave offensively with a triple and two singles followed by singles from Gant, Magee, Taylor and Shawn.

North Delta will be back in action today in two games at the Clarksdale Lee tournament by taking on Greenville Washington at 11 a.m. The Wave will face off against the host Colts at 4 p.m.