North Delta goes 2-2 in Kirk Tournament

By Brad Greer

For the second straight week, the North Delta fastpitch softball team gave a strong performance with a fourth place finish in the Kirk tournament over the weekend.

North Delta (5-3) opened up the tournament Friday with a 2-1 victory over Greenville Washington. The Lady Green Wave moved into the winners’ bracket game Saturday morning where they lost a close 3-1 verdict to four-time Class A champion Bayou.

North Delta then staved off elimination by pounding district foe Marshall 12-4 in three innings before being blanked by Magnolia Heights 2-0 to finish the tournament 2-2 in the nine-team field.

The Wave got all the runs they would need in top of the first inning in the victory over Washington as Julianna Morrow, Maribeth Johns and Bradi Beard all produced singles.

Washington scored its lone run in the bottom half of the inning on four hits off Green Wave pitcher Peyton Rico. The sophomore overcame the rocky start to surrender one hit over the next three innings to record the win.

Morrow and Johns led North Delta with two hits each while Hastings Neal and Anna Lloyd followed with doubles. Beard, Laci DuBravec and Katherine Rich chipped in with singles.

Despite out-hitting Bayou 7-3, the Green Wave stranded eight runners on base in the loss to the No. 3 ranked Colts. Madison Atkinson, who along with DuBravec, led North Delta with two singles, scored the lone run in the fourth inning on a fielders’ choice.

Neal, Johns and Beard registered singles while Grayson Sims took the loss in the pitching circle.

Under a broiling heat, the Green Wave made quick work of Marshall by scoring five runs in the first and seven in the second to pick up the easy win.

Rich drove in four runs on a pair of singles to lead the way while DuBravec contributed with two RBI’s on two singles. Johns, Neal and Courtney DuBravec all drove in runs with singles. Rico fanned three and walk one batter while giving up four hits to earn the win.

Magnolia Heights scored two unearned runs in bottom of the first on an error, single and two wild pitches to earn the victory.

The Chiefs looked to add another run in the second by putting runners on first and second but a nice running catch by Johns in centerfield ended the threat.

North Delta managed only four baserunners in the game as Lloyd led the way with two singles while Beard added a single in the fifth.

Rico suffered the tough-luck loss by giving up one hit over 4.1 innings of work while striking out three and walking one.

North Delta will open up defense of their district title tonight as they host Kirk starting at 5:30 with the junior varsity game followed at 7 with the varsity.