By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
STRYKER (April 10, 2026) – As the cloudy early evening skies segued into darkness, Delta scored 10 runs in the final two innings to break open a close game and beat Stryker, 14-2.
Delta took a 1-0 lead in the first and added three more on just one hit in the second.
Gary Valentine singled to open the game, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a groundout to give Delta an early lead.
The hit in the second was a big one, as Lane Lopez doubled home a pair of runs to give Delta a 4-0 margin.
Carlos DeSantos got himself into a jam in the first when he hit two Stryker hitters and walked another to load the bases with one out. However, the big junior right-hander struck out the next two hitters to escape unscathed.
DeSantos worked three innings of no-hit ball, fanning seven while walking a pair and hitting three more.
Stryker (1-4) got two runs off Hayden Boulton in the bottom of the fifth thanks to two Delta errors and an RBI hit by Walker Atkinson that trimmed the deficit to 4-2.
However, with darkness falling, Delta notched five runs in the sixth to open the gap. Boulton’s RBI single, along with hits from Valentine and Lopez’s second two-run double of the night, made it 9-2.
Delta (3-1) tacked on five more in the seventh to ice the contest, using a pair of infield singles and four walks issued by Stryker pitchers to fuel the rally.
DeSantos was credited with the victory. Valentine and Lopez each had two of Delta’s 11 hits on the day.
DHS 130 005 5 – 14 11 2
SHS 000 020 0 – 2 2 3
WP- Carlos DeSantos (IP-3, H-0, R-0, BB-2, K-7)
LP- Chandler Lloyd (IP-6, H-10, R-13, BB-6, K-4)
LEADING HITTERS: (Delta) Lane Lopez – 2 doubles, 4 RBIs; Gary Valentine – 2 singles, 2 RBIs; (Stryker) – 2 singles