Delta Gets Crucial Split

Livonia, MI – The Delta College Pioneers baseball team began the first of eight straight road games in four days by splitting a pair with the Schoolcraft Ocelots, losing game one 15-1 in five innings before taking the nightcap, 7-5.  The split puts Delta's overall record on the season at 10-13 while they are now 4-6 in conference play.

In game one, the Pioneers got off to a bad start after surrendering four unearned runs in the first inning and another two unearned runs in the second.  Sporting a 13-0 lead after three innings of play, the Ocelots had no problem cursing from there.  Kane Bourbina took the loss on the hill, throwing two and two-thirds innings, giving up four earned runs on nine hits while striking out two.  He is now 0-1 on the season. 

"We've faced that pitcher (Will Buraconak) three times in the past two seasons and are 0-3," said seventh year head coach Danny Smith. "We've got to figure him out if we have any aspirations of competing in the post-season."  Delta and Schoolcraft are NJCAA Division III members of Region XII and will square off in the post-season for a chance to play in the Super Regional.

Game two saw the Delta bats come alive as Cam Fowler led the game off by getting plunked and moved to second on a bunt single by Aaron Esparza.  A Zach Schirmer sacrifice bunt moved the runners up a bag and Devin Sempert squeezed home Fowler for the 1-0 lead.  Kane Bourbina then followed with a two-out single to score Esparza and make it 2-0.

"That was great to see," said Smith of his team's offense.  "That's our style of play and when we get comfortable with our offense, we're going to be a tough team to beat.  It's just a matter of getting the offense kick-started."

Bourbina made it 3-0 in the second inning when he laced a double to right-center that scored Esparza.  A leadoff double by Dylan Steinke in the fourth helped to make it 4-0 when he scored on a Fowler single.  The Pioneers upped the lead to 7-0 in the fifth with the help of doubles by Danny Diaz and Bourbina while Steinke and Brandon Bakos both had RBI singles in the frame as well.

Schoolcraft battled back to score three runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut in to the lead off starting DC pitcher Joe Tany and when they scored two more in the sixth to make it 7-5, the Pioneers went to the bullpen.  Jake Wright trotted to the bump with runners at second and third and one out, facing the three and four-hole hitters of Schoolcraft.

But the big lefty overpowered both sluggers and got back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat and the inning.  He would go on to collect his first save of the season when he struck out two of the three hitters he faced in the seventh.  Tany got the win to even his record to 1-1 on the season.  He threw five and a third innings giving up one earned run on nine hits while striking out four. 

Offensively, Delta was led by Bourbina's three hits including two doubles and two RBI.  Esparza collected three hits and scored two runs while Dylan Steinke and Danny Diaz each singled and doubled.

The 'JOES' are back at it tomorrow as they travel to Macomb Community College for a four-game series with the Monarchs.  Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 2pm while Saturday's game time is 1pm.  They will then travel to Henry Ford for a Sunday double-header that begins at 1pm.  The Hawks and Pioneer series is currently tied at 1-1 on the season.