*Courtesy Delgado CC Sports Information
GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO — Weatherford scored three runs on two home runs in the bottom of the ninth to overcome Delgado in a 9-8 walk-off win over the Dolphins Saturday to open the NJCAA Division I World Series.
Weatherford’s Jack Clark posted the game’s first run on a first-pitch home run in the bottom of the first. Clark would hit a sacrifice fly in the second to plate Dayton Tockey to give the Coyotes a 2-0 lead. In the third, Josh Alexander homered to put Delgado on the board and split the lead to a run. Back-to-back doubles and a sacrifice fly by Weatherford in the third added two runs. Delgado’s Brock Slaton singled to lead off the fourth, advanced on a groundout and scored on a double by Logan O’Neill for Delgado’s second run. In the fourth, Weatherford’s Josh Zapata reached as a hit batter and scored on a two-run home run by Jack Clark, his second home run of the game to give the Coyotes a 6-2 lead through four innings. Weatherford added a seventh run in the fifth on an RBI triple by Kanon Sundgren.
Jhonnatan Ferrebus led off the Delgado sixth with a single, advancing to second on a wild pitch. Logan O’Neill walked before Tyler Cook singled to plate Ferrebus. Jacob Singletary reached on a one-out walk in the seventh before Brock Slaton launched a two-run home run to make it a 7-5 game. In the eighth, Jake Kaufmann reached on an infield error and advanced on a single by Cade Pregeant. Bryan Broussard reached on a walk to load the bases before Josh Alexander was hit by a pitch to narrow the lead to a run. A Weatherford balk plated Pregeant to tie the game at seven. Broussard scored on a wild pitch to give Delgado the 8-7 lead, its first of the day.
In the ninth, Kaufmann reached on a single, advanced on a groundout by Pregeant, and scored on a pinch-hit single by Cole Stromboe to give Delgado the 9-7 lead.
In the bottom of the ninth, Jack Clark led off with a walk and scored on a two-run home run by Jack Arthur to tie the game at eight. Robin Villenneuve homered the next at-bat to lift Weatherford to the 9-8 walk-off win.
Kaile Levatino suffered the loss on the mound, entering the game in the eighth inning in relief of Tyler Velino, who pitched four innings and held the Coyotes to a run in relief of starter Carson Lore, who pitched the game’s first four innings.
With the loss, Delgado (45-12) will play at 2 p.m. MST Sunday, facing Andrew College (Georgia), who suffered a 12-0 loss to Central Florida in Game 2.
