By Staff
JUST A LITTLE BIT FARTHER – Delgado's Ryan Core tags out Meridian's Brian Page after a 3rd strike in the dirt. PHOTO BY PAULA MERRITT / THE MERIDIAN STAR
By Austin Bishop/EMG Regional Sports Director
May 11, 2002
It was flashback time at Scaggs Field on Friday afternoon.
Delgado Community College of New Orleans and host Meridian Community College hooked up in a classic on the second day of the NJCAA Region 23 Division I Tournament, with the visiting Dolphins taking a 5-4 win.
MCC head coach Mike Federico was unavailable for comment after the game.
After falling behind 4-0 in the bottom of the first inning, the Eagles scrapped back to get into the game and trailed 5-3 going into the top of the ninth.
After a lead-off strikeout, sophomore second baseman Tyler Scarbrough ripped a homer into the netting behind the right field wall to cut it to one run. It was Scarbrough's second homer of the game and a team-leading 12th of the season.
After a fly out, Brian Page reached on a walk and moved to second on a single by Billy Porter. But Delgado reliever Brandon Hollingsworth got Jake Bell to ground out to short to end the game on a bang-bang play at first base.
The Dolphins play at 4 p.m. today against the Mississippi Delta-Jones winner.
Delgado jumped on MCC starter Tim Jones (4-5) in a hurry in the bottom of the first.
Mike Forbes led off the inning with a homer to left. Matt Graziano singled to left, and Nathan Meiners reached on an error by the center fielder. After Ryan Core singled to load the bases with no outs, Damien Givens came on to pitch for the Eagles.
With a break or two, the Eagles could have gotten out of the inning with only one run being scored. But, Mike Prestenback reached on a swinging bunt single to third to make it 2-0 and leave the bases loaded with no outs.
Givens then struck out the next hitter, before Jeremy Helton grounded out to first to make it 3-0. An error by the shortstop on the next hitter made it 4-0 before the Eagles could finally get out of the inning.
MCC really had its chances to get to Delgado starter Jared Terrebone in the top of the first inning.
Lance Dawkins and Brad McKee walked to start the inning and after a fly out, Scarbrough singled to right to load the baseas. But Terrebone struck out the next two hitters to end the threat.
The Eagles, which finished the year at 24-28, got on the board in the top of the second when Chad Bradley singled. Courtesy runner Phillip Garrett reached second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Lance Dawkins.
MCC cut it to 4-2 when Dawkins homered to left. The Eagles then made it 4-3 when Scarbrough homered to left.
Prestenback homered with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to put the Dolphins, now 43-9, up 5-3.
Givens pitched seven innings of relief, allowing just six hits and one earned runs.
Terrebone moved to 6-1 with the win.
Prestenback had three hits for Delgado, while Meiners had two. Scarbrough had three hits for MCC, while Porter and Dawkins had two each.