Delta Ends Fresno City's Season With 13-2 Win

State Championship Brackets

by Dave Silverstein

FRESNO – The game was going to leave one team in Northern California left in the CCCAA Championship tournament, and San Joaquin Delta took an early lead. Nate Easley started the game with a base hit and stole second base. After Ryan Smith was hit in the helmet by a pitch, Nelson Muniz laid down a bunt to advance the runners. Lance Berringer grounded out to the shortstop scoring Easley for the first run of the Championship Series for Delta College. Jacob Thomas reached on an infield hit to score Smith, which was followed by a Collin Theroux RBI triple.  After a Zack Perugi walk brought up Kris Bartlett who singled to left center scoring Theroux, it ended Fresno City's starting pitcher Drayton Riekenberg's day, as the Mustangs scored four times.

The Rams got two of the runs back in the bottom of the first inning when a walk by Zak Taylor resulted in a run when Christian Funk doubled down the third base line. Scott Silva then drove home Taylor on a single to put up two runs on the board.

But that would be as close as Fresno City would get, as the Mustagns matched their first inning output with four more runs in the second inning.  Smith, Muinz and Berringer each drove in a run while Thomas doubled in Muinz followed by a sacrafice fly by Theroux that brought home Berringer. Perugi drove home the final run of the inning on a single to left center.

That was all the scoring until the top of the seventh inning when Delta struck again starting with a Thomas single and advanced to second on a Navarette error. After a walk to Perugi, Thomas scored on a wild pitch. Bartlett singled to right, a ground ball advanced Perugi and Thomas. Easley walked loading the bases and Smith's double cleared the bases giving Delta four runs in the inning.

San Joaquin Delta, (40-6) the state runner-up last season, advances to the 6:00 p.m. game with Fresno finishing their season at 35-11.