By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
DELTA (May 10, 2025) – Paulding jumped out to a big lead, then had to withstand a last-inning Delta rally to defeat the Panthers 9-6.
Paulding jumped out early against Delta starter Gary Valentine as hits from Kane Jones, Grady Arend and Colten Hunt, long with two Delta errors gave Paulding a 3-0 first inning lead.
Delta got one back on Vinnie Maurer’s RBI single in the bottom of the first, but Paulding regained a three-run lead in the third.
A walk, an error and Zack Barton’s sacrifice fly made it 4-1. Wyatt Flickinger’s run-scoring single with two down in the fourth chopped the Paulding lead to 4-2, but Paulding answered with scores in the next three innings.
Again, it was a pair of walks, this time issued by Nathan Elton in the fifth that began a rally. Hunt’s fly ball marked one run and Barton’s ground out scored another.
Two more walks, a ground out and a balk put up another pair in the sixth to boost the Paulding lead to 8-2 and a single tally in the seventh pushed the margin one more at 9-2.
In the bottom of the seventh, Delta rallied against Hunt. Emric Friess lead off with a single and a walk one out later put runners at first and second.
Hunt got Carlos DeSantos to pop out but walked another hitter and uncorked a wild pitch to mark a run. Jadon Lohman’s single and a subsequent throwing error on the same play plated two more runs to chop the Paulding lead to 9-5.
Jack Tedrick’s single to center got the margin down to 9-6 before Greyson Harder came in with the tying run at the plate to record the final out.
Hunt picked up the win on the day, while Valentine got the loss. Delta plays at Montpelier on Monday.
PHS 301 022 1 – 9 7 4
DHS 100 100 4 – 6 9 3
Records: PHS 7-10, DHS 6-10
WINNING PITCHER: Hunt (6.2 innings, 9 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts) Other: Harder
LOSING PITCHER: Valentine (2 innings, 5 hits, 4 runs, 2 earned, 1 walk, 1 strikeout) Other: Elton, Lopez, Walter
LEADING HITTERS: (Paulding) Jones – double, single, RBI, 2 runs; Barton – 2 RBIs; (Delta) Friess – double, single; Lohman – double, single, RBI; Morr- 2 singles